Core RuleBook
Transcription
Core RuleBook
INT TROD DUC CTIO ON "Another drea am is waiting to o begin." - Dissidia a: Final Fantasyy The ‘FFRPG’ project originally begaan as a bold un ndertaking by SScott Tengelin in February off 1995. opment began with a small in nitial group of designers and administratorrs consisting off Tengelin, Develo Martin n Drury, Chris P Pomeroy, and Matthew Marttin. After manyy years and changing of hand ds, it became aa fully‐realized dream – the current third edition w was spearheadeed by Samuel B Banner as the lead developer. ng, the project seems to havee been all but aabandoned. Howevver, at the time of this writin Althou ugh I was inspired by the Returners, I could dn’t help but shhake the feelin ng that it was fllawed for laid‐‐ back, aaround‐the‐tab ble gaming, an nd I naïvely beggan a slow con version of the rules systems into somethin ng that I ffelt was more conducive for casual play. But, ass things often d do, the more w work I put into the system th e more complex the rules beecame, until finally they took on aa life of their o own and becam me a total systeem modificatio on. In too deep p to stop now, I could only forge on aahead. I attem mpted to reprod duce combat t hat accuratelyy reflected the ffeel and style o of nal Fantasy serries, where batttles were dram matic, larger‐thhan‐life and grrand affairs; cin nematic the Fin oppossed to mechaniically monoton nous, if you willl. I endeavoredd to churn outt a system filled d with grand possib bilities and hero oic action. I strruggled with a world where ttitanic strugglees between goo od and evil forr the fatte of the world d would be an accurate summ mary of the typpical adventureer's day, and th hat's just beforre breakffast. Wheth her or not I succceeded is up ffor debate, butt I find myself m mostly content with this pdf f in its current incarn nation. At least for now. This w work is free disttribution and n not for sale und der any circum mstances, and I hope you enjo oy playing the Final FFantasy d6 as m much as I enjoyyed creating itt. The Final Fantasy d6 Role-Playing R Game is not affiliated with h or owned by Squ uare Enix or any of its affiliated compa anies. Much of the x and its various co ontributors such as Yoshitaka Amano. A portion of the co opyrighted materia al materiial here is copyrighted by Square Enix that appears a here (such as images) are as sserted to be Fair U Use under internatio onal copyright law. ACC CRED DITA ATIONS I would like to thankk the following art contributo ors; Kedio odrick Arvvalis RJ. Palmer Luraazeda Rhin neville AnHellica Grrrrod Udon nNodu Artico B. Jador Zoken Rusty001 Sh hadow‐Shasuka Blurmage Amansazz Darkness127 Mikajima Aikuriisu Nibelw wolf Inkven nom Ex‐HK Chibin niko Kurko B Boltsi HeroP Pill Pu‐sama ni66htmare01 Xiaman Je di Art Trick CBJ3 Dsasec WhhiteRaven90 Bill‐yii Moon Goddess Studios Cesar Sampedro Stefaana Tserk Kaanoe‐Kun Khaamar Pam mansaz Farazz Shanyar Solu usUmbra Hunsberger (htttp://questingrraven.devianta art.com) gracioously re‐provid ded the imagess for the racial Chris H profile es used in this book, having p previously been n designed for the original Reeturners’ systeem. ovelydagger off http://www.ddeviantart.com m, who is a truee genius. Additional very speccial thanks to Lo White Mage” im mages courtessy of Dustin “O ZKai” Wilkinso on. “Blackk Mage” and “W http://www.rpol.net, and maany enthusiastiic members of f the Giant in Partial beta testing ttook place on h ww.giantitp.com m/forums) assiisted greatly du uring the desiggn process. I’d the Plaayground forums (http://ww like to o take this oppo ortunity to thank the followin ng users for th eir support, innterest, and feeedback througghout. /tg/ Iro on Pyrite Darkk Siren Sally Taabby Kat Kckolbe K Naki Creed Shei‐kun Ironox Kazuki Shogunboy steelsmiter ArenTrel m Yurim Jack of Stticks Irish Nin nja False Tru uce Temote ei Zooofman Winggs of War The D aily Nissan Chhappu ThieenCatVu Grrypwolf Kobold‐Baard Yomandaas RPGFantasySquare wiimanclasssic Vagrant An ngel Mechario ous ouls who repeaatedly enduredd playtesting; G Gabe (Tezghul), Joe (Phyrrus), Extra sspecial thanks to the poor so Monicca (Mitsu), Derek (DirtyDeero ock), and Josh ((Uter). And of ccourse, a hearttfelt thank‐you u to Steph (Tacit)), whom convin nced me not to o throw this en ntire project in the trash wheenever I wound d up insomnia‐‐ stricke en with frustration, screamin ng ‘MATH!’ in the early hourss of the mornin ng like it was a strained battlecry. No thaanks whatsoevver to the Moogle‐molesting Troy Wolfswiftt, wherever hee may be. Chapter I: Gameplay 5 Chapter 6: TThe World (C Cont.) Characcter Creation Attributes Aboove 1st Level 8 9 13 Chapte er 2: Jobs 14 Black Mage Blue Mage Dark Knight Dragoon Engineer Entertainer Gambler Geomancer Monk Ninja Paladin Ranger Red Mage Samurai Thief Time Mage Warrior White Mage W 17 21 26 30 34 38 42 47 54 58 62 66 70 74 79 83 87 91 Final Faantasy I Final Fa ntasy II Final Fanntasy III Final Fanntasy IV Final Fa ntasy V Final Fanntasy VI Final Fan tasy VII Mateeria List Final Fanttasy VIII Final Fanntasy IX Final Fa ntasy X B Blitzball Final Fanntasy XI Final Fanntasy XII Final Fanttasy XIII Final Fantasy Tactics 185 187 1888 1900 192 193 195 197 1988 2000 202 2044 207 2100 212 2144 Chapter 7: M Magic 217 7 Black White Blue Time Summ moning 2200 225 2300 233 2388 Chaptter 3: Definin ng a Hero 95 Ch hapter 8: Besstiary 254 4 Shared Abilities Skills Destiny Summoning 95 102 110 114 256 2600 261 262 267 Chapter 4: Eq C uipment 118 Cat egories Abilities Biological A Combat A Abilities Building A Attacks Sample Moonsters Weapon n Categories Universal Equ uipment List Universal P Property List Samp ple Weapons Sample Accessories Sample Armor Sample Consumables Sample Food S Synthesis 121 125 128 137 139 141 142 143 145 Conclu usion 272 2 Blank Characteer Sheet 273 Chapter 5:: Combat 147 Negative Sttatus Effects Positive Sttatus Effects Rewards List of C Components Recoverry and Death Leveling Up Limit Breaks Additionaal Challenges 156 158 159 160 161 163 164 171 Chapter 6: Th C he World 174 Hume Elvaan Galka Viera Lalafell Moogle Android Bangaa Nu Mou 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 CH HAPT TER I: I GA AMEP PLAY Y "Know, and d prepare for b battle." - Prrof. Bordam Da aravon The following few pages offer an overview of the basic mechanics oof the Final Fanntasy d6, and include many Although some of these explaanations may b be familiar to eexperienced role‐ important concepts and ggame terms. A uch of the info ormation prese ented here will be expanded oon in the remaainder of the b book. We suggeest players, mu taking a mo oment to familiarize yourselff with this material before m oving on. WhatIsFinalFanta asy,Anywa ay? When DoIRollT TheseDice?? Final Fantaasy is a series o of more than th hirty console RPGs and ttwo MMORPGss. Though each h story in the series is ind dependent, the ere are numerous recurring themes and d elements succh as airships aand bright yello ow avians, welll‐known monssters and heroiic save‐the‐wo orld storylines. Throughhout the game,, your characteer will likely tryy to do thinggs that aren’t eexactly everydaay mundane taasks. We rely on the random m results of dicce rolls for ng from how injured your eneemies determi ning everythin become after hitting thhem with yourr sword, to whether m against the or not yoour character iis able to swim current. ngeons and Drragons, the Final Originally inspired by Dun wn. Fantasy serries has grown to take on a flavor all its ow It has beco ome a setting in n which the fun ndamental well‐ known limiits of human caapability are caasually ignored d, where a villlain’s strength h can be measu ured by their androgyny and size of the eir hair, and where only a m of heroes un niversally unde er the age of ragtag team thirty are ccompetent (or incompetent) enough to make a difference. These are sttories about go ood versus evil, twisted tecchnology and h heroic perseverance, duality, self‐sacrificce, camaraderiie and love, and taking on tru uly legendary e enemies with yyour eight‐foott sword and magical um mbrella. bbreviates all dice rolls as From noow on, we’ll ab d[numbeer of sides]; thus a 6‐sided diie would be called a 'd6'. A n umber before the 'd' indicates that more than one die is used – '2d6' simply meanss two six‐sided dice are rolleed and their tottals are added together. A vaalue after thee type of die, liike 'd6+2', meaans that that number is added to the result of thee roll. If the d6 comes uup as 5, for exaample, the totaal score would be 7. Rando omTargetss,Percentilesand Round ding Often, thhe FFd6 will caall for a random m target to be chosen. A fair way to d determine this would be to h have all eligibble targets roll 2d6, with the llowest roller ending up as thee target. WhatDo oINeedTo oPlay? Other than n this free PDF, you mean? Likke most pen‐and‐ paper RPGs, you need dicce – in this case, a handful off common, rrun‐of‐the‐mill six‐sided dice will do the tricck. You’ll usually want two p per player but h having extras iss a ded dice to good idea, and perhaps aa single four‐sid nt to get fancy. calculate percentile chances if you wan When thhe system statees that an effeect has a 50% o or 25% of occurrring, you could d resolve this b by rolling a 1d4 4…or normal 2d6 dicce. A 25% chance is continui ng with your n 7 or higher, an nd a 9 or highher on 2d6, a 550% chance is 7 75% chaance is 5 or higher. Use whateever method iss easiest ffor you and your group! You alwa ways round dow wn in the FFd6 system, but neever round too zero. Half of oone is considerred to still be o one. 5 Jobs Every charaacter belongs tto a single ‘Job b’ in the FFd6 to determine w what they can d do, and how th hey’ll be able to o contribute to an adventu uring party. Black Mages are fformidable useers of destructive elemental energies, where ding, gravity‐deefying Dragoon ns soar the skiees even as White Magges are healerss and protectorrs. Spear‐wield Geomancers tap into the very powers o of the earth. Abilitiess Each Job is distinguished from others by a unique poo ol of talents, coollectively calleed Abilities. Th hese range from m the o cast magic, to o being call fortth various effe ects with a Gam mbler’s supernatural slot macchines, to strikke capacity to with a sudd den ferocity, or steal from a hapless foe. Alll characters sttart with a singgle ‘Innate’ Ability, which is pre‐ determined d by their choice of Job. Theyy also begin plaay with two otther abilities ch hosen upon character creatio on – either from m the Job Abilitty list, or the Sh hared Ability list which all ch aracters have access to. As they advvance in their aadventuring caareers, charactters may continnue to obtain m more and more abilities from m these lists. CriticalHitsandCo omplication ns In many gaame systems th hat use d20s, aa result of 1 is aa spectacular, aautomatic failu ure, where a ro oll of 20 is an automatic success. In the e FFd6, which u uses a 2d6 roll for the majoritty of checks, th here is a chancce that the result up with both dice landing on sixes. In comb bat, this dice reesult means thaat the characteer performs a never‐ will come u miss Criticaal Hit and possibly a Limit Bre eak. More on tthis later…for nnow, all you neeed to know is that a pair of ssixes is good new ws. For skill che ecks, however, such a roll do oes NOT autom matically countss as an automaatic success. Pllayers can do ttruly prepostero ous things at hiigher levels witthin the rules o of the system, and it takes m more than just aa lucky roll to m make a characterr’s (possibly craazy) wishes a rreality. 6 When both h dice land on 1 1s, this is called a Complication. In combat,, a Complicatio on means the m monster or character aautomatically m misses their atttack no matterr how accuratee they might no ormally be, but there’s never more dire cconsequences.. On skill che ecks, Complications get a littlle more…well, complicated. SSince Final Fan ntasy heroes arre often beyon nd beginner’s mistakes, rolling nothing butt 1s means outtside influencee or fluke happ penstance ruineed whatever th he was trying to do ‐ such as the e guards comin ng to investigatte what all thatt noise is abou ut. This is a chance character w for the GM M to spice up th he story with new problems aarising to supp lement the old d ones. Not only is your airsh hip spiraling ou ut of control, b but one of the engines is now w on fire!...and so on! (See p.1002 to learn more aabout Complicatioons.) GM’sNote:Setting The Final Fantasy series h has spanned do ozens of world ds – from Ivalic e, the multiraccial land of meercenaries and he artificial plan net nurtured b by psychopathic ancient consstructs – and raarely do any tw wo of adventure,, to Cocoon, th these worlds operate und der the same laaws. Some feature magic thaat slowly chips away at the m minds of those who use it, and in others deatth is little more e than a minor inconveniencee. As you can im magine, this m means that creaating a e that covers e everything from m the entire Finnal Fantasy serries, is simply iimpossible – an nd universal set of rules, one ignoring th his fact would b be irresponsible and downrigght chaotic at bbest. To resolvee this, you’ll fin nd a chapter laater on in this b book that contaains brief summ maries of some e of the most ccommon Final Fantasy games and their wo orlds, suggested adventure ideaas, and a repossitory of additiional rules to hhelp set your taabletop campaaign in a pre‐exxisting universe. That said, tthis book was d designed to givve you and you ur friends a chaance to exploree your own sto ories, with you ur own heroes, and d very often, in n your own unique Final Fanttasy world. Whhether your campaign will bee set a familiar place….or w whether it will be set in a posst‐apocalyptic city where thee last memoriees of the deceaased are immortalized as whisperiing magical cryystals….well, th hat’s all up to yyou. Are the heeroes tied togeether by virtue of ophecy or are t they childhood d friends? Are t they a crew of f gentlemen thieves or forced d into an uneassy ancient pro alliance by the outbreak of war? This is a chance to le et your creativiity shine. 7 CH HARA ACTE ER C CREA ATION N "You ur fate is in you ur hands. This is your story." - Au ron The first an nd most obviou us step is to staart giving some e thought to thhe character yo ou are planning on playing. A At this point you w will probably be painting with h fairly broad sstrokes ‐ 'neurootic Black Magge with a troub bled past' or 'narcissisticc, charismatic Thief' are some e basic examples of conceptss that could bee spun out into o a well‐defined d character w with a bit of thought. Howeve er, a concept iss nothing moree than the base of a characteer; In order to start fleshing ou ut the person b behind the ideaa, details you should settle onn as early as po ossible includee: Name: In aa universe poppulated by herooes with monikkers like Cloudd Strife, Zidane Tribal or Laguna Loire, a goood name can ggo a long way ttowards makin ng a memorablle character. Iddeally, a good n name should b be evocative an nd a little unusu ual. Age: Nearly always equaates to 'experieence'; often draawing the fine line between a fresh‐faced aadventurer braat and a grizzled, w world‐weary vveteran. Most cclassic Final Fantasy heroes aare just enterin ng adulthood, tthough there aare exceptionss on both ends.. Chances are good that extrremely youthfuul or elderly ch haracters will eencounter sociaal discriminattion from same e‐species peop ple around them m; comments like 'old‐timer' and 'squirt' are likely to follow them everyywhere they go o, and some w will actually refu use to take theem seriously. Race: Thhe world of Finaal Fantasy is poopulated by ann odd assortmeent of humanoiids and monsteers. Over the ccourse of many ggames, the maantle of world‐savior has variously fallen on the shoulders of rat/lizard/eelephant/pig‐fo olk, people, and other cat‐robotts, feral sasquaatches, moon‐p creaturess too strange to o describe in ju ust a handful o of words. Raaces are diversse and unique, but ultimatelyy, nothing m more than flavo her or for your chaaracter. Wheth you’re a ppowerfully‐buiilt Yeti or an ad dorable Moogle has no mechaanical difference save for onee; All Humaanoids, your ch haracter includ ded, are Vulneerable to the da rk corruption ccaused by Shad dow spells and d effects; thhey take 50% m more damage from such attaacks. Normally, yyour characterr is automaticaally a Humanoid – but by chooosing to be an n Unusual Speccies (by taking the special abillity found on p p.101) you can make your chaaracter as a liviing plant or a p planar traveller, or just about anything else you can imagine, and don n’t have to be aa Humanoid if you don’t choose to be. Job: A character's chosenn Job helps dettermines his or her Abilities, their aptitudees in combat, and a whole sleew of other facto ors. For this reaason, choosingg a Job is the m most important decision a player makes durring the characcter creation prrocess; but don n’t worry! You’’re not stuck in n a Job forever r after making tthis decision, aand characters are able to exp plore other opttions as the gam me progressess. Jobs are pressented in full d detail in Chapteer 2. Appearan nce: Although aa character’s pphysical featurees, height, wei ght, build, andd hair, eye and skin color are important, remember thaat a character's appearance iis as a much a measure of their 'style' as an nything else. D Do ncealing black ccloth, or a warrdrobe consisti ng entirely of loud pastels? W What about jew welry they lean towards all‐con 8 or other distinguishing fe eatures such ass tattoos? How w does the charracter carry theemself, and wh hat impression n does pression give o others? the charactter's general posture and exp Quote: A ggood quote is jjust as effectivve at establishing a character r as any numbeer of descriptivve paragraphs. This can be anyything from an often overused catchphrase ('...Whatever. ') to a short an nd pithy comm ment typical of tthe character'ss general outlo ook on life ('I’m m not a thief, I’m m a treasure h unter!'). Charaacters who fill o out a Quote on n their character ssheet are autom matically awarrded a single point of Destinyy. (See p.110 to leearn more about DDestiny.) Backstoryy and Goals: As you’ll quick A kly discover, this system puts very little emp phasis on a chaaracter’s historry before the game begins. Where your ch haracter is goin ng and what yoou’ll become iss far more important than yo our ents that took p place off‐scree en before the ggame begins. U Ultimately the decision is up tto losses and accomplishme we strongly suggest keeping a character’s hhistory minimaal, to a paragraaph or two at m most – each individual GM, but w just enough for the charaacter to have a handful of goaals. These goalls, however, arre pretty important; we’ll come n a little while, but get started d thinking ahe ad of time whaat drives your character, whaat back and finalize these in they fear, aand what they hope to achievve in their life. Attributtes Once you’vve got the basics of the charaacter figured out, it’s time to start getting innto the numerrical aspect, staarting by assignin ng their physicaal and mental p prowess a num mber rating fro m one to ten; one being terrrible and ten being amazing. C Characters have e a total of fou ur primary Attributes, which aare; Power (P PWR): This scoore is a represeentation of how w much energgy and strength h you can bringg to a battle, whether it be in the form m of magical or melee might. Resolve ((RES): This scoore representss endurance, coonfidence, drivve, and the abiility to take a hhit. Characters with a high Reso olve are likely tto laugh in the face of danger and press onn against adverrsity, whereas ccharacters with a lower Reso olve can heavilyy feel the weigght of failure orr the fear of thhe unknown. Dexterityy (DEX): This attribute meassures speed, physical agility aand hand‐eye coordination. Characters witth a high dexterity will often u utilize weapons where their sspeed can reallly shine, and tthey will be ablle to consisten ntly my attacks. evade enem Mind (MND): This score represents yyour capacity ffor knowledge,, your speed oof understandinng, general meental agility and knack for chan nneling magic. 9 Each starting character has a total of 25 5 Attribute Poiints to divide bbetween the fo our Attributes ‐ Power, Resollve, e Points are sp ent at a one to o‐one ratio and d each categorry Dexterity, aand Mind ‐ as tthe player chooses. Attribute starts at 0, and a characte er cannot have e an attribute sscore of less thhan 1 or higherr than 10 after character creaation of comparison,, a completely normal humann being has a sscore of about 3 in each Attriibute. is finished. As a method o ers adventure and gain levelss, you’ll be able e to increase t hese attributee points. As characte Seconda aryAttributes From those e four main staats we can deriive two other important secoondary factors;; Force and Fin nesse. Force: This secondary sccore representts how difficultt the characterr is to oppose pphysically. A chharacter with aa high Force migh ht be able to sh hake off a basilisk’s deadly gaaze without sufffering any ill eeffects, or slicee through the ssteel prison barss on the party’ss cell with a pie ece of folded p paper. To calculate a character’’s Force, add together their PWR and RESS attributes, theen divide the rresult by 4, rou unded down. For example, a character with 6 6 PWR and 7 R RES would havee a total of 3 Fo orce. Finesse: This secondary T y score represe ents how difficult the charactter is to oppose emotionally and mentally. A character w with a high Fine esse could thin nk quickly enou ugh to reflect tthe basilisk’s gaze with a poliished edge of m metal, and smooth‐talk or infuriiate the prison guard enough h to unlock thee cell door. To calculate a charactter’s Finesse, add together their DEX and , d MND attributtes, then dividee the result byy 4, rounded down. FFor example, aa character with 15 DEX and 111 MND would d have a total o of 6 Finesse. CombatStatistics Next up, w we can slowly w work through th he process of d determining al l the other releevant combat measurementss, ranging fro om how effective the charactter is at avoidin ng damage to hhow many spells they can un nleash before needing to recharge. Befo ore being able to make these e calculations yyou’ll need to know which Jo ob you want yo our ely sure, you m may want to flipp ahead a few p pages to Chapter 2 and hero to staart out as; if you’re not entire take a glance at the manyy options that are available. If you’re readyy to proceed, the six final combat vallues your charaacter will need d…and how to calculate them m…are as follow ws; Hit Points (HP): A reflection of the ccharacter's genneral physical ccondition. This number represents their maximum Hit Points, aand damage de ealt to a characcter ever reduced too 0 or temporarily reduces this value. If a character’s HP is e ous and they b become vulneraable to enemy y lower, theyy fall unconscio attacks cap pable of killing them. To calculaate a characterr’s Maximum m Hit Points, add their RESS score with thee HP Bonus granted d by their Job, and multiply tthe total by theeir Level. Magic Po oints (HP): Magic Points rep M present a character's reservooir of spellcasting energy. Cassting spells red duce a characte er's MP by a se et amount wheen used. (If you u are don’t know w any spells and are unable to o cast magic, then you are trreated as havin ng zero MP an nd you can skip p this step entirely.) 10 To calcu ulate a charactter’s Magic Po oints, add theeir MND score with the MP BBonus granted by their Job, aand multiply the e total by theirr Level. Avoidancce (AVD): The character's aaffinity for refleexively dodgingg or parrying inncoming physical attacks. Avoidance is determined mostly by you ur Job (each Job grants an au tomatic value)), and for everyy 4 points you have +1 to this value e. in the DEX stat, you add + Whenever an attack roll iis made, it musst equal or surpass the targe t’s Avoid scoree to have any eeffect at all. If tthe total attackk roll includingg Accuracy is lower than the ttarget’s Avoidaance score, thee attack ‘misses’ and nothingg happens. C Certain attacks and status efffects are capab ble of ignoring or nullifying yo our AVD score temporarily, b but characters retain their Avvoidance score e even if they d don’t know thee attack is coming, or where iit originates fro om. To calculate a charaacter’s Avoida ance, add 1/44th of their DEXX score with thee bonus granteed by their Jobb. Accuracyy (ACC): The bbase likelihoodd of a characterr being able too land a blow w with a conventiional weapon. This stat is base ed off of the Le evel of the charracter, a value anywhere from m one to eightt. Individual Jobs may also grrant an accuracy bonus of a fe ew additional p points. weapon, you roll 2d6 and add your ACC scorre – if the result would be eq qual to When you make an attacck roll with a w onent’s AVD, th he attack landss and you may calculate dam mage using the same two dicee – or higher than your oppo hat later! more on th To calculatte a character’’s Accuracy, aadd half of the e character’s Leevel, rounded down, with th he bonus grantted by their Job. Armor (A ARM): A sum of the charactter's protectionn against physiical attack. Thee higher the number the le ess damage theey will suffer. W Whenever a ch haracter would d take ARM score is suubtracted from m the amount they would be dealt physical daamage, their A – for exam mple, a characte er with 5 ARM would reducee 30 damage do own to 25. Armor iss simply calculaated by addingg up the total AARM granted bby your equipm ment. Some Job Abilities can give ppermanent bon nuses to the ARM score. Magic Arrmor (M.ARM): The charaacter’s protecttion against maagical attacks. The higher the rating, the lesss damage theyy will suffer. W Whenever a chaaracter would ttake M.ARM score is subtracted fro om the amount they would b be magical daamage, their M dealt – for example, a ch haracter with 220 M.ARM wou uld reduce 60 d damage down to 40 instead. Magic Arrmor is simplyy calculated byy adding up thee total M.ARM M granted by yo our equipmentt. Some Job Ab bilities can givve permanent bonuses to thee M.ARM scoree. 11 JobAbilities Your character has begun to take shape, and now it’s time to start really getting into the customization process. First, consult your Job Ability list, because you automatically receive the innate ability listed there. The next step is to choose two additional abilities of your choice – these may be either from the list of Job‐specific abilities, or the list of Shared Abilities that starts on page 95. You can’t choose a Limit Ability yet – those are earned later on. This can sometimes be a daunting step due to all the options available – don’t worry! It gets easy with a little familiarity. SkillsandMagic Next up is to choose skills, which are described starting on page 102. These are day‐to‐day proficiencies such as picking locks and talking your way out of a tight spot. You may allocate your skill points anywhere you like, but the maximum number of points you can have in any one skill is limited by your Finesse score. The maximum number of points a character can have in any Skill is equal to their Finesse score, plus one. For example, a newly‐created character with 3 Finesse may not have more than 4 points in any one skill. So, as a character’s Finesse increases, so too will their maximum skill caps. The number of Skill Points you begin play with is dependent on your Job, but is always enough to hit the maximum cap for the skills you want the most. Finally, most MP‐using classes begin the game with at least one spell, which can be found listed in Chapter 8. A typical Job may have a magic‐ using chart that appears similar to the one seen here. This means that at levels one the character begins play with two ‘Novice’ spells of his choice. At levels two and three, the character receives another Novice spell from their list. Upon reaching level 4, 5, or 6, they gain a new spell and may choose from either the Intermediate or Novice list instead, and so on. Spell Level Levels Obtained Novice Intermediate Expert Superior Ancient 1, 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6 7, 8, 9 10, 11, 12 13, 15 Equipment All newly‐created level one characters begin play with 500 gil, or the world’s equivalent. This is enough to purchase basic equipment including a weapon and armor, as well as supplies or one‐time use items that can help a character out of a tight spot. A complete list of equipment can be found in Chapter 5. Even if your character is a blacksmith, tailor, alchemist, or someone else capable of turning money into usable items through use of the Synthesis skill (which we’ll talk about more later), you cannot use any part of this 500gil to craft items before the game actually begins. GoalsandFinishingTouches And last but certainly not least, characters are encouraged to come up with a total of four goals they’d like to see their character achieve over the course of their adventures. Three of these should be short‐term goals such as ‘be recognized for my achievements,’ ‘save the princess of Cornelia,’ or ‘build my own airship’, and one needs to be the character’s lifelong dream, the long‐term ambition that keeps them motivated. This might be anything from ‘return to the ancestral homeland where I was banished from’ to ‘retire with a pile of money’. The FFd6 has a built‐in system where completing these goals over the course of the story will earn the character significant rewards, and also helps the GM plan adventures around your character. 12 StartingaCharacterabove1stLevel Characters won’t always withstand the rigors of the Final Fantasy world – some gracefully return to their old lives, some are defeated in battle or perform legendary acts of self‐sacrifice. Sometimes, old villains can become new allies, or long‐forgotten companions can return more powerful than before. Perhaps the heroes themselves are already well‐established paragons in the world, not batting an eye at the lesser threats that plague the typical adventurer. For all of these reasons and more, what follows is a quick set of rules designed to create characters above first level. Consult the chart below to determine the starting number of abilities (outside of the automatically‐earned Innate job ability) attribute points, bonus skill points, gil and destiny a new character of any given level will begin play with. Your GM will let you know if you also get to start with any Limit Breaks and Limit Abilities. Level Total Adjustments 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Max Attribute Starting Gil Destiny 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 500 575 800 1,200 2,000 3,400 6,200 11,500 22,000 40,000 73,500 125,000 230,000 400,000 720,000 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 2 Job Abilities, 25 attribute points, 0 extra skills 3 Job Abilities, 27 attribute points, 2 extra skills 3 Job Abilities, 28 attribute points, 4 extra skills 4 Job Abilities, 30 attribute points, 6 extra skills 4 Job Abilities, 31 attribute points, 8 extra skills 5 Job Abilities, 33 attribute points, 10 extra skills 5 Job Abilities, 34 attribute points, 12 extra skills 6 Job Abilities, 36 attribute points, 14 extra skills 6 Job Abilities, 37 attribute points, 16 extra skills 7 Job Abilities, 39 attribute points, 18 extra skills 7 Job Abilities, 40 attribute points, 20 extra skills 8 Job Abilities, 42 attribute points, 22 extra skills 8 Job Abilities, 43 attribute points, 24 extra skills 9 Job Abilities, 45 attribute points, 26 extra skills 9 Job Abilities, 46 attribute points, 28 extra skills GM’sNote! Characters who begin play at higher than first level generally shouldn’t have any Attributes with a value of less than 3, and definitely should not have any attribute higher than the value listed for their level, found again in the chart above. If a character begins play as a spell‐casting Job, they also gain a full list of spells as if they had been a member of that Job all the way from level one. For example, a level 5 Black Mage will know and have access to four Novice spells and 2 Intermediate ones. A level 12 Blue Mage will only know two spells; one Novice, and one Superior. 13 CHA APTE ER III: JOB BS "You've alll heard this be efore. How life has h infinite pos ssibilities. I don n't believe that o one bit. There weren't many p paths for me to choose. Sometiimes, there wou uld only be one e. From the lim mited possibilitie es I faced, the choices I made e have brough ht me this far. That's T why I vallue the path I chose... I want tto hold true to tthe path that H HAD to be taken n." - Irvine Kinne eas obs, and you may choose any one Job you liike at Characteer Creation. Each has their There are aa total of 18 Jo strengths aand weaknesse es; use the brie ef descriptions on the followiing two pages to familiarize yyourself with the different options availablle to you. d into each of the eighteen jo obs in greater depth, you’ll nnotice the appeearance of the four elementaal As you read crystals. Th he colors of the ese icons deno ote what each JJob specializess in, or what pu urpose a given Ability leans toward. Ho owever, these are little more than suggestio ons, and a smaart player with h a few wisely‐sspent points off Destiny can n transform AN NY Job into being able to fill aany ‘party role ’ they choose. The Crystal of Fire represen nts offensive caapabilities, striking at your o opponents with magic or physical attacks to ering amounts o of deal stagge damage. Offfensive characte ers almost alwaays benefit from m a high PWR score. The Crystaal of Earth points to Jobs and d abilities that faall into a mo ore defensive role, and are be est used by playyers who want to wade into baattle ppable juggernau uts as unstop or protect their weaker alllies. h It’s usuaally wise for such heroes to iinvest in a solid RES score. The Crysttal of Wind indicates utilityy roles, skill‐baseed abilitiess and jobs, as weell as chaos and misdirectioon. who like to overccome Players w challennges in memorable fashions or without resoorting to combbat should watchh for this syymbol. Since utility charact ers often lack otther defensess, investing in a solid DEX sccore is generallyy a ssmart move. Thee Crystal of Watter design nates support ab bilities and jo obs that can heal their allies, increase the effectivveness of their frriends, or oth herwise work beest as parrt of a team. Mo ost restorative spells and aabilities utilize the MND attribute to ncy. enhaance their poten Once you’vve selected a Jo ob, here’s seve eral phrases yo ou’ll see and w hat they mean n. HP Bonuss: This value iss added to your RES stat, andd multiplied byy your Level, too determine yoour character’s maximum Hit Points. MP Bonu us: This value iis added to youur MND stat, and multiplied by your Level, to determine yyour characterr’s maximum Magic Points. Innate: You automaticaally gains accesss to the first joob ability on thhe list when yoou select your JJob. An Innate ability might be as simple as exttra Destiny when you overcome worthy advversaries, or ass complex as aa Geomancer’s henever you ch hange to a diffferent Job, youur Innate abilityy changes as w well. control of tthe terrain. Wh Job Abilitties: Most of tthe space on eeach Job page iis taken up by tthese important‐looking pow wers. These aree all the Abilitie es that are asso ociated with yo our chosen Job b, how they woork and what th hey do. You maay choose any two Job Abilitie es at first level. Limit Abiilities: As your heroes grow in power theyy will unlock seeveral truly extraordinary abilities specific to their job, in n any order the ey choose. You u may not choo ose a Limit Abi lity during character creation n. 14 Bla ack Mage B Blue Mage A purely d destructive casster that doesn n’t have much in the way of protection or subtlety – o only unmatched d her foes with offenssive capability.. She assaults h overwh helming eleme ental attacks an nd a variety of negative e status effectss. By exploitingg the elementaal weaknesse es of their ene emies, the dam mage Black Magges can unleash is without pe eer. Blue M Mages are eniggmatic power‐sseekers sometiimes knownn as the Immortals. They are renowned forr the monsttrous magicks they wield, theeir metamorph hing physiical bodies, theeir ability to laugh in the facee of ddeath, and theeir rapidly dwin ndling sanity. Dragoon TThe masters of the lance are ttacticians and manders of thee highest degreee. Between th heir comm aerial m maneuvers and d their ability tto direct the flo ow of battlee, Dragoons rarrely need to rely on allies for aid. Darrk Knight Combiningg vicious black magic that draains life and slaams their e enemies with vvicious status e effects, these unrelentting fighters go o to every means necessary to exploit their target an nd leave a lastin ng impression.. Engineer work contraptio ons and peculiaar Massters of clockw gadgeets, Engineers kkeep themselvves and their allies outfittted with fantaastic – if somettimes improbable, tempoorary, and extrremely dangerrous – equipmeent. Enttertainer These arrtisans, mimicss and minstrelss contribute far more than just song and swaying hips tto an adventurring With a unique set of tricks diirected through troupe. W their expre essive arts, the ey can inspire ttheir companio ons to unmaatched heightss of greatness aand leave theirr enemie es star‐struck. G Geomancer These ttough, peacefu ul nomads havve formed a strrange conne ction to the po owers of creatiion and are able to nding call fortth the very terrrain to do their bidding. Stan unrivvalled in their ccomplete mastery of the natu ural place world, they can transsform the batttlefield into a p hemselves and their allies to sshine. perfectlly suited for th Gambler Temptt fate, roll the d dice, and shoott first and ask questionss later. Devil‐m may‐care swash hbucklers with a knack for ggetting lucky w when it really co ounts, they plaay a deadly game of chancce with their unique support or spell disaste er. abilities tthat can either save the day o Ninja A sub tle warrior wh ho is famed for his ability to fight weapons. Thesee swift and steealthy flawlesssly with two w assasssins are known n for using poisoned blades aand throown weapons tto ensure that their targets can ombat neither run nor hide, aand that the first round of co will bee their target’s last. Monk A melee ccombatant who seeks to makke their body tthe ultimate e weapon, esch hewing the use e of armor and d other aaccoutermentss. Whether from decades of training o or supernaturaal aid in the waay of Ki, they arre resilientt, powerful warrriors on the w way to attainingg physical perfection. Paladin P Though these knights have harnesse ed the power of e Magic to provvide additional healing and White restorativve abilities, don n't expect them m to be sitting on the back lines. With inh herent leadership abilities an nd d defense, Palaadins are holy sswordsmen wh ho unrivaled are often the first to kick down a doorr and charge in nto the fray. t Ranger Archerss and gunslingeers that focus on a single weeapon to delivver deadly longg‐ranged attaccks to unsuspecting foes. TThese athletic generalists can swiftly comb bine multiplle job abilities together and tturn their enem mies’ missedd attacks back o on each other,, and they use their natural aptitude for th he great outdo oors to lay amb bushes and stay sup pplied on long journeys. 15 Sa amurai Red Mage Alsoo known as Ru A noble w warrior who follows the code e of bushido an nd une Knights and d perhaps mosst transform ms skill with a b blade into an art‐form as exottic infamouus as the Jack‐o of‐all‐Trades. EEschewing the belief and beau utiful as it is de eadly. Their sup pernatural style that thhey need to ch hoose only onee path in life, th hese can turn an n enemy’s stre ength into a we eakness, and th heir romanntic mages dab bble in swordsm manship, Blackk and mastery o of the sword allows them to p perform amazing Whhite magic, and d irritating their allies by bein ng feats as they travel the land spreading hope to the e insuffeerable smart‐alecks. Preordained for greatn ness, wntrodden. these seelf‐proclaimed heroes will un ndoubtedly sho ow the dow world the truue meaning of versatility. Tim me Mage Thief Able to rreshape the forces of time an nd space, these e unpredictable cosmic daabblers are as powerful as they These ffleet‐of‐foot co ombatants walk on the wrongg side of thhe law and posssess a variety of dirty tricks. As magical barrierrs are scarcce. Shrouding tthemselves in m and using the unlimited powers off the mind to comfo rtable explorin ng ancient ruin ns and dungeon ns as me even physical challenges,, they can cast overcom they aree in an urban ssetting, Thieves give new meeaning formidaable spells thatt stretch secon nds into hours. to the phrasee ‘five‐fingered d‐discount’. Warrior W W White Mage Devoted d fighters who kknow their desstiny lies on the This deedicated healer is welcomed with open arm ms to battlefield d, Warriors are e the perfect blend of offensive any advventuring partty they choose to join, suppo orting and defen nsive skills. You u can rely on th hese myrmidons theeir comrades w with nigh‐endleess healing and d to hit hard d, hit fast, and hit often. Their combat abilitties resurreection abilities.. Though the jo ourney may bee long allow them to adaptt to any situation, and their and diffficult, it will un ndoubtedly bee safe thanks to o the disaster for anyyone who gets in Whitee Mage’s singlee‐minded purssuit of protectiion. aggressive style spells d th heir way. 16 BL LACK MA AGE E 黒魔道士 黒 Black Magic can be defined as the destrructive power of the elemen ts themselves,, m the ability to call forth smalll plumes of waarming flame tto with effectts ranging from cataclysmicc, earth‐shatte ering spells cap pable of leavingg entire cities i n utter ruin. Though oth hers may boastt the ability cast a selection o of offensive sp ells, only Blackk Mages havve true masteryy over the full b breadth of devvastating poweer that magic ccan offer. e spells associaated with this sschool are not practiced withh any degree of Though the secrecy, it is well known tto be an art ass dangerous forr the practitionner as it is their oo many who h have lost themselves to the ddestructive forcces enemies. TThere are far to they comm mand. Because off this, Black Maagic is often taught in academ mies or magicaal institutes where expe erienced wizarrds can keep a close eye on the younger geeneration of developing spellslingerrs. Since the ab bility to cast m magic naturally can his often meanss that such insttitutes manifest att an extremelyy young age, th are filled w with impulsive, youthful wizarrds that have p personality (or physical) traits associated with their elem ment of choice e. For example,, a black magee that favors firre ht come to havve orange or brright red hair aand an irritablee temperament. magic migh These traits often fade on nce the characcter becomes m more experiencced in his craftt, nt, whimsical aand white‐ and elderlyy Black Mages are almost universally patien bearded fe ellows. You arre a fount of po ower, transcending the limits of mo ortality throug gh your craft…sso long as nothing interrupts you ur concentratio on, of course. As long as yyou remain at 100% hit pointts, your spell casts cannot be inte errupted (due tto d you knockback effects, criticaal hits, etc.) and bonus on oppossed rolls to infllict or gain a +2 b resist any e effect caused b by a spell. HP Bonus: MP Bonus: ACC Bonus: AVD Bonus: Skill Points: 14 8 0 4 18 Spell Rank Novice Intermediate Expert Superior Ancient Levels Obtain ned 1, 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6 7, 8, 9 10, 11, 12 13, 15 Weapons: Armor: Magic School: Arcane Light Black mposing your w will on colossal inanimate objeects, deadly arrtifacts and pro otective wards, s, You’ree capable of im turning theem all into piless of rubble. Once per session, the Blaack Mage may activate Oblite erate as an insttant action eveen when it wou uld interrupt an urn, in order to o make a Force check to destrroy any Large oobject (such ass a weapon wieelded by a titanic enemy’s tu creature, a towering marrble pillar fallin ng towards them, or even an entire town) aat up to a Long Range with a +4 bonus to th he check. At th he GM’s discrettion, Obliterate e can also be uused to destroyy smaller, non‐‐sentient objeccts that are predominantly m magical in nature. This ability may be taken multiple times, increasing th he bonus grantted by me. +4 each tim 17 With ttheir expansivee knowledge off the magical arts, the Black M Mage is capable of striking back when theyy become thee target of a ho ostile spell. The Black M Mage gains Ma agical Countera attack (100%) – whenever thhe Black Mage is affected by any spell cast on him by an e enemy, he mayy return fire with any spell he e knows autom matically as a C Counterattack. The spell still ccosts MP, but is considered an Instant action. The Black Maage cannot usee Counter Maggic if he is occupied with a Slo ow e spell was Refflected, and he e may only perfform one magical counteratttack each roun nd. action of his own or if the may suffer from m dark circles u under their eyees after a nightt of poring overr ancient tomees, While some mages m ous side effect ffrom dealing w with the darkerr arts. Their eyes many Blackk Mages are affflicted with a ffar more obvio glow a dim m golden, green n or blue in colo or even in pitch h blackness. The characcter is able to see through maagical illusions (as per the Illuusion and Advaanced Illusion sspells), and alw ways rolls an add ditional d6 whe en making one e specific type of skill check, cchosen from th he following lisst when this ab bility is gained; A Awareness, Lan nguage, Negotiation, or a single type of Lorre. In addition, a Black Mage e with this abiliity can instantly glean the su rface thoughtss of any sentient creature (evven if me language), simply by spend ding one pointt of Destiny, making eye conttact with the taarget they don’t speak the sam his way, a charracter with Go lden Gaze is offten privy to seecrets that others and lookingg directly into their soul. In th simply couldn’t know. Bo osses, Notoriou us Monsters, and other extreemely powerful individuals reequire a successsful ent, at the GM’’s discretion. opposed Fiinesse check before the Desttiny can be spe Likewise att the GM’s disccretion, the maage might sufffer from a slighhtly higher diffiiculty on futuree Stealth rolls due to their con nstantly softly‐‐glowing eyes. A runnic symbol form ms in the air as you mumble w words of powerr, stripping aw way your foes’ m magical resista ance. Declare you’re activating Elemental Seaal as an Instantt Action; your nnext Single‐tarrget spell or atttack will ignoree the ove the effects of Shell if theyy possess it, an nd their M.ARM M score is redu uced effects of tthe foe’s M.ARM score, remo to zero unttil the start of yyour next turn. This job abilitty may be usedd once per com mbat. pells are so powerful that theey can literally blow your oppponents away. Your sp Whenever the Black Magge deals damagge to one or more enemies w with an offensivve spell of Expert rank or higgher, d Force check; a success meaans the target(ss) suffer a Med dium Range kn nockback effect. In he may maake an opposed addition, th he Elemental SSeal job ability may also trigger off of Groupp‐target spells and affect all ttargets struck. Theyy say knowledgge is power; at the very least,, knowing thinee enemies helpps you survive ssuch encounteers. After usingg a standard action to make aa successful Lore check regarrding one enem my or monster,, you also learn n the complete list of all their aabilities and sp pells, and you m may also choosse to learn whaat item can be Stolen from th he ou so choose. YYou gain a +2 b bonus on all op pposed rolls aggainst any targget you have su uccessfully used enemy if yo Arcane Insiight on. 18 an do so much more than meerely create and manipulate tthe elements; when exposed d to a pure sourrce of You ca raw, prima al elemental en nergy, you can harness and w wield this elemeental power ass sure as a warrrior can wield a sword. You ur supreme elem mental influence can transform even the m most deadly torrnado or raging g firestorm into o a mineral clu uster tiny enough to fit into yo our pocket, rea ady to be unleaashed again laater whenever yyou choose. By making a successful Fo orce check as aa Slow action w when in an Elem mental Field, tthe character m may form an pe; for example e, an Ice Stone from a raging blizzard. (see p.142 for more Elemental Stone of the appropriate typ information o on Elemental Stone es) Upon a succ cessful usage o of Storm Stonees, the Elementtal Field effect immediately eends. This ability allows a luckyy and intellectu ually‐gifted mage to theoreticcally release an nd re‐absorb the same Elemeental Field effectt over and over ad infinium. The difficulty of the Force e check is dete ermined by the e GM based on how powerful and dangerou us the terrain iis; her than Supre me (20). Failurre likely meanss a previously‐ that said, itt is rarely less tthan Challenging (11) or high released ellemental field dissipates befo ore the Black M Mage can recappture it. You hhave grown com mfortably famiiliar with one p particular spell,l, and now mayy cast it at a m moment's noticee. Upon takin ng this ability, d designate any o one spell you ccan cast as a Faavored Spell. You may caast a Favored SSpell as an Instant action oncce per game seession. By spending one pointt of Destiny yo ou may also cast a Favored Spell when a status condition (exccluding Charm)) would preven nt it, such as beeing under thee Petrify or Seal. effects of P You may taake this ability multiple timess, gaining one aadditional Favoored Spell each h time. And fin nally, you may choose to cchange your Faavored Spell(s)) whenever you u defeat a Bosss‐type enemy. mental subtypee, and may eveen exhibit perssonality traits a associated with h your You have a knack for a certain elem a coldhearted a and logical sorrt who prefers the sub‐zero teemperatures of offered chosen magical group. Peerhaps you’re a gic, a hotheadeed rebel that’s q quick to start a a fight, or perhhaps you’re as sstoic and patieent as the earth h by Ice mag itself. Lightthearted magees are generallyy naturally drawn to water‐eelemental magiic, and the unp predictable and d flamboyant ones tend to concentrate on the control o of electrical currrents. n gaining this ability; Ice, Fire,, Water, Earth,, or Lightning. YYou deal an ad dditional damaage Choose an element upon ever you inflictt elemental damage of your cchosen type. FFor example, if a character th hat has taken aan Ice step whene specializatiion attacks witth an Ice Strike weapon that n normally dealss (PWR x 3) poiints of damagee, it would now w do (PWR x 4) iinstead, and so o on. Furtherm more, whenever you roll maxi mum damage with a damage‐dealing spelll (regardlesss of the spell’s normal elemental type!), you u gain an addittional advantage based on yo our chosen eleement; Ice: Deadly cold freezes thee enemy in placee and inflicts the negative statuss effect Stun for one round. Fire: You ignite the target aand cause them to burn. They suuffer (PWR x 0) ppoints of Fire damage which ignores M.ARM at the h of their turns, until the flames are extinguished with a Standa rd action, expossure to liquid, orr the GM’s discreetion. start of each (Remember that due to you ur specialization,, the damage ste eps of this immoolation effect aree actually higherr than zero.) Water: A veeil of pure, flowiing liquid shimm mers into being aaround you, grannting a +2 bonuss on rolls to resisst the effects of negative staatus effects until combat ends. TThis effect is cum mulative. Earth: You send the target hurtling upwardds into the sky w with a powerful eeruption. The target is thrown a Medium Rangee into the air as a kknockback effect, and generally suffer 50% of th heir maximum hhealth in damagee when they colllide with the gro ound from such a height. Lightning: You are enervatted and filled witth a surge of eneergy. You may u se this burst of eenergy to move a short range, ggain a +2 bonus to your next roll, o or shock one uncconscious ally w within a short rannge to return theem to 1 hit pointt. 19 day that passees causes your m muscles to atro ophy further frrom disuse, butt finds you onee step closer to o truly Each d understand ding the enigm ma that is magic. Though yourr research has taken its toll, eeach spell and spoken word iis filled with a a potency thatt causes even th he deadliest m monsters to trem mble at your ppresence. By permanently sacrificin ng two attributte points from either their REES or DEX scorees the Black Mage may gain o one of the following benefits; manently gainss three attributte points, whicch they may on nly spend to ‐ The Black Mage instantly and perm or MND attribu utes. increaase their PWR o ‐ The Black Mage permanently gains a +1 bonus to o their ACC scoore. ‐ The Black Mage permanently gains 2 skill points.. manently learns any one spelll from a rank aand school of m magic he has access ‐ The Black mage instantly and perm ot learn Blue M Magic in this fasshion, howeveer. to. Characters canno ack Mage is an n untapped resservoir of poweer, able to draw w forth spells oof inexpressiblee potency. If th here’s The Bla such a thing as too much power you ha ave yet to disco over it. By expendiing two points of Destiny to u use Manafont as an Instant aaction, the character can now w cast any of th he Black Magic spells that arre one rank higgher than he acctually has acccess to for the remainder of tthe game session; d access Expertt spells. In add ition, they havve access to all Black Magic spells for example, a level 6 Blaack Mage could nk or lower, evven if they did n not choose to obtain these s pells previouslly. The charactter must still bee able of their ran to pay the MP cost of anyy spell cast in tthis method. 3 or higher, the en Manafont instead grants access to all po ossible Black M Magic and gives the If the charaacter is level 13 Black Mage e a +4 bonus on opposed rollls to inflict neggative status efffects. gs to you. Magicc is your purvieew, and you takke what belong The characcter gains accesss to the follow wing spell. Osmose (1 MP) Target: Single Type: Non‐‐Elemental Spheres of white light eru upt from the taarget as their m magical reservees are stolen. O Osmose destro oys (PWR x Hallf e target’s MP, aand the caster regains a num mber of Magic PPoints equal to o the amount lost by Level) + 2d6 points of the the target. 20 BLUE B E MA AGE 青魔道士 青 Monsters h have a form of magic unknow wn in standard magic academ mies, and Blue Mages have the cap pability, the dessire and the pssychotic tende ncies o learn their craft from these e monsters. Non‐blue mages have required to been know wn to publicly ccondemn members of this Job, citing prove rbs about those who gaze too long into the abyss. And unfortun nately, there iss a great e Magic often ccomes at an un nspeakable cosst. Many deal of trutth to this; Blue practitione ers of this school discover the emselves to be e mentally – annd physically – – changing in w ways beyond th heir control. HP Bonus: 14 SSpell Level LLevels Obtained d Your m magic is beyond d classification n, despite MP Bonus: 2 Novice 1 the name a and color besto owed upon it u up by ACC Bonus: 1 Superior 10 anxious wizzards trying to o pigeonhole yo our style. AVD Bonus:: 5 Ancient 15 With a worrd and a gesturre your skin exxudes Skill Points: 20 powerful pheromones or waves of ultra asonic aring laser emiissions are fired d from energy, sea Weapons: Arcane, Blaade, Concealed your eyes, and from yourr mouth pours a a Light Armor: breath and a cu ursed melody. As petrifying b Magic Schoool: Blue unpredictable as it is pow werful, Blue Ma agic remains the exclusive purrview of those nough to be exp posed to it unfortunatte and crazy en over and over again. e Job Ability graants the user the aptitude to o learn spells frrom the Blue M Magic school. TTo Learn a Bluee Spell, This Innate a Blue Magge must be able to understan nd it. Without ttomes or teachhers to fall bacck on, 'understaanding' mostlyy boils down to just one thing: e experiencing th he Spell's effect first‐hand. A Blue Mage witth this Innate A Ability will, if h he so utomatically accquire any Blue Magic spell ccast on him by a monster (no ot another Bluee Mage!) durin ng a chooses, au battle in which the Blue M Mage is an actiive participant, regardless off the spell’s levvel. The Blue M Mage may not leearn a on him while he e is under the effects of Sleep p, Petrify, or R eflect. spell cast o ning job ability gains a bonus to their Langu uage and Lore ((Monster) skill In addition, a Blue Mage with the Learn ual to the numb ber of Blue Maagic spells theyy know. checks equ e encouraged to speak to the eir GMs and disscuss spells thaat particularly aappeal to them m so encounters Players are may be plaanned accordin ngly. 21 n observation and a sharp an nalytical mind are the Blue M Mage's best frieends. By carefu ully Durability aside, keen nent, you can g gather enoughh information fo for a kind of myystical reverse watching the magic woveen by an oppon g, allowing you u to learn mon nster magic witthout leaping ddirectly in harm m's way. engineering This special ability overw writes and supersedes the Blu ue Mage’s inna te ‘Learning’ p power, since a character with h this ability no lo onger needs to o be targeted b by a Blue Magic spell to acquuire it – only see it used durin ng a battle in w which the charactter is an active e participant. O Observe has no o effect if the B Blue Mage is Un nconscious or affected by Beerserk, Blind, Conffuse, Sleep, or P Petrify. Furthermore, this ability allows thee character to ccontinue to leaarn Blue Magicc even if they are no longer a me ember of this JJob. ue Magic spellss are defensive e instead of agggressive, and aare essentially o only obtainable by a Blue Maage Several Blu with the Observe ability. Again, a Blue M Mage may not learn a spell f rom another B Blue Magic user – only the orriginal monster. Mages are reno owned for being g extraordinarrily difficult to kkill. Some say tthis is because of the beast b blood Blue M that runs th hrough your veeins, others atttribute it to divvine ordinance.. Whatever thee reason, it’s a well‐known fa act that, ever ssince the first B Blue Mage ado opted the title o of ‘Immortal,’ tthe label has pproven to be wo orryingly accurrate. Whenever a Blue Mage u uses Destiny po oints to ‘Cheat Death’ as desccribed in chaptter 4, the cost for doing so iss now nts of Destiny instead of the u usual 7. only 3 poin ansparent mag gical glyph hovvers around you u like a hungryy animal waitinng for the ordeer to strike. The tra The Blue M Mage can create a magical waard known as aa Blastbomb orr simply a ‘Blasster’ as a Slow action, which iis an invisible, floating mine th hat can be set tto explode whe en a certain coondition is mett. This triggerin ng condition might oor is opened’ tto ‘I fall unconscious’, or sim mply a comman nd word. A deto onated blastbo omb be anything from ‘this do mber of points of Non‐Eleme ental M.ARM damage equal tto the Blue Maage’s Maximum m MP score to aall deals a num Local targe ets. It also allow ws the Blue Maage to make a Force check w with a +2 bonuss to destroy any objects withiin range of th he blast. Blastbombs function no m matter the disttance between n their locationn and the Blue Mage, though only one such h may be conjure ed at any time;; creating a seccond blastbom mb means the o older one simply vanishes witthout explosive m a detonatio on. They leave a magical residue upon deto onating – muchh like gunpowd der – that allow ws the Blue Maage to be tracked down. Thus, B Blastbombs are e a poor choice e when stealth is called for. TThe Blue Mage’s equipment eril – don’t app ply when calculating damagee from this job ability. properties – such as Impe pells are extrem mely difficult to divert or abssorb, and each weapon strikee rejuvenates yyour magical Your sp reservoirs. e next spell casst will ignore the effects of R Reflect as well aas any After activaating Sapphire Seal as an Insttant action, the elemental Resistances, Im mmunities or A Absorbencies th he foe may po ssess. Furtherm more, the charracter’s next MP Refresh prop perty – the Blu ue Mage recoveers magic poin nts equal to 50% of the damaage physical atttack has the M done. eal may be use ed once per combat. Sapphire Se 22 onstrous blood,, and provide yyou with additiional weaknessses and protecctions. The eleements flow deeep in your mo Choose one e of the six following elemen nts ‐ Fire, Ice, W Water, Wind, EEarth, or Lightn ning. The Blue M Mage now Abssorbs that Eleme ent, gaining HP instead of losiing it and when n affected by sspells or attackks of that type.. However, he must then choosse a second ele ement from the e list, which he e will forever hhave a Weakneess to. The Blue M Mage may take this ability up to three timess, choosing new w elements forr the Absorben ncies and Weaknesse es each time. H He may never o obtain a resistaance or immunnity to the elem ment that he iss now weak to,, even through eq quipment or job abilities such h as Metamorp phosis. hilst powerful, are often limitting – most nottably in the facct that most Bllue Magic is Monsttrous spells, wh designed to o battle individ dual foes and n not large group ps. However, byy using your ow wn life essencee as fuel, you a are able to amplify your spellls beyond theirr conventional restrictions. d 25% of your maximum HP to change the target type of the Whenever you cast a Blue Magic spell yyou can expend oup instead of Single, affectin ng all enemies or allies. spell to Gro Sharing is caring. Once per combat when the Blue Mage is affected by a negative Stattus effect, theyy may immediately activate on even if it means interruptting an enemy’’s turn. Ripplerr automaticallyy inflicts one Rippler as aan Instant actio additional ttarget of the B Blue Mage’s choice with the ssame status th ey received, w with no opposeed resistance ro oll. Targets wh ho are immune e to the status e effect will still ignore the effeects of Ripplerr. Rippler can nnot be activatted if the Blue Mage was alre eady in the midddle of a Slow aaction. u thought that was flashy,” th he mage chuckkles weakly, staaggering to hiss feet and wipiing a sudden trrail of “If you blood onto o his sleeve, “Ju ust wait ‘til you u get a load of this…” Upon casting a spell, you may choose to o voluntarily saacrifice a numbber of hit points equal to 25% % of your maxiimum o additional dam mages steps O OR increases the difficulty to rresist its negattive health. If you do so, the sspell deals two +2. Escalate may be used mu ultiple times on n the same speell, but you mayy not sacrifice a percentage o of effects by + health greaater than whatt you currently possess. If you u are reduced to zero hit points from usingg Escalate, your power is co ompletely drained and you are inflicted witth the Curse staatus in additio on to unconscio ousness. Auto‐Life or immediate health gain do oes not preven nt the effects o of unconscious ness caused in n this way. In addition, the first time e you cast any B Blue Magic spe ell in the same battle in which it was learneed, you may treeat our maximum HP in order too amplify its efffects (thus incrreasing the dam mage this spell ass though you sspent 50% of yo dealt by four steps, or graants you a +4 b bonus on your opposed roll tto apply a negaative effect). This one‐time ed even if the B Blue Mage has less than 50% of his maximu um escalation does not cost health, and can be performe HP. 23 opting the mag gical traits of m monsters and leearning how too best defeat thhem, some blu ue mages have even By ado begun to su uccumb to biza arre physical ch hanges and mu utations. Whetther the dangeerous gleam of f an aerial huntter sparkles in your eyes, or tthey’re as cold and emotionleess as those beelonging to an ancient shark or long‐lost dator amongst prey. construct, yyou are a pred Choose one e of the 10 mo onster categories listed below w. You are treaated as being thhat type of creeature in additiion to Humanoid (or whatever, in the case of unusual specie es), and you gaain the [Monstter] Killer propeerty, where thee type of Monsterr is your chosen species. For example, a chaaracter with thhe Beast bloodline gains the Beast Killer property. YYou also receivve the additional bonus listed d. This ability caan be taken multiple times, cchoosing a diffferent Bloodline e each time. manently gains the effects of Flight while th hey Aerial: Whether through wings or other means, the ccharacter perm nscious. In addition to the ob bvious benefits of being able to stay aloft under your own n power indefin nitely, remain con short‐range e weapons sufffer a ‐4 penalty to hit you wh hile airborne. Amorph: TThe Blue mage begins to lose discernable an natomy and thheir internal orggans begin to lliquefy as theyy become more slime‐like. An Amorph‐m mutated characcter is capable of squeezing through openin ngs a fraction o of ugh a keyhole oor slipping betw ween the cracks in the their normal body size – ssuch as puttingg an arm throu floorboards. Arcana: Raaw magic flowss through the ccharacter’s bloo odstream. Theey are immunee to all spells an nd effects caussed by enemies w which attempt tto destroy or drain their MP ((Aspir, Rasp, a nd so on). Aquan: The e Blue Mage iss as comfortablle in water as h he is on land, aable to breathee and move no ormally without penalty. Th he character re eceives a +2 bo onus to all Swim mming skill cheecks, never neeeds to make ro olls for the purposes of holding his breath und derwater, and ccannot drown. Beast: The character grow ws long, wicke ed claws and so ometimes teet h, granting theem the effects of the Pugilistt ey also deal one additional daamage step whhen fighting un narmed. equipmentt property. The Construct: The characterr is capable of ccommunicatingg with machineery without evven touching or seeing it, and d may odline also gain ns an Immunityy to use the Sysstems skill at a Medium Rangge. Furthermorre, a character with this Bloo Poison, Fea ar, and Zombiee unless anothe er Mutation orr Metamorpho sis grants one of these statuses. Dragon: Th he mage’s skin hardens to the e point of almo ost being like aa draconian hid de. The Blue M Mage receives aa permanentt bonus to his A ARM score equ ual to (Level x 3 3). Fiend: A Blue Mage with the Fiend type e has complete ely lost his hum manity, sacrificing integrity an nd righteousneess for f their normal aattitude – now w treat power. He gains a permanent Weaknesss to Holy, and all monsters –– regardless of Mage as if they w were Wary insstead. This is bo oth a represenntation of the u unnatural kinsh hip evil beings now the Blue M feel with th he mage, as we ell as an inhere ent fear the Blu ue Mage placees in normally‐ffriendly critters. Without provocation, almost no m monster will atttack the character on sight. Plant: The character’s skiin takes on a greenish tint, alllowing them tto photosyntheesize nourishm ment. Wheneveer the d MP through TTravel Rest, the ey recover as iff it was a Full R Rest instead. (IEE; 50% recovery y is now character rregains HP and 100% recoveery. See p.161 fo or more details o on this.). Undead: Th he Blue Mage gains the Undyying monster ffeature. Very siimply, this meaans that after a Blue Mage w with this job abiility is ‘perman nently’ killed, th hey are resurre ected and retuurn to 100% HPP and MP afterr a short period d of time has paassed; usually, the start of th he following gaame session. Thhis is not foolp proof, as it can be prevented with even low‐le evel white maggic, but has see en more than o one Blue Magee survive for ceenturies and th hrough catastro ophes that would d slay lesser heroes. However, tthey are also afflicted with th he curse of the e Undead; the A Auto‐Zombie status. Cure speells, restorativee items and h healing of any sort other than regeneration n will now insteead deal damaage instead of restoring HP. 24 al mages, but B Blue There are spells and abilities that eexist in the univverse that can never be harneessed by morta a rather unorth hodox way to ccircumvent thiss. By taking on aspects of deffeated Mages drivven to extremees have found a enemies, yo ou can echo th heir power as w well as their appearance. Metamorphosis is a Slow w action that co osts one point o of Destiny to aactivate. Upon doing so, choo ose a non‐Bosss hat you have de efeated in batttle in the past; whether this m might be a low wly rabbit or a p powerful King monster th Behemoth is limited onlyy by the character’s experiencces. Upon chooosing a monsteer, the charactter’s appearance eceive access to the creaturee’s entire spell list, they become the same twists and changes, they temporarily re Undead or Aerrial, for examplle), and they gaain all of the fo ollowing Biologgical Monster Species as the monster (U would normally possess them: Regeneration, Flight, Swiftt Strikes, Unusu ual Defense, Abilities if tthe monster w Controlled Defense, Swarrm, Multiple Parts, Imperviou us, Fearsome, Large, Undyingg, and Specificc Habitat. ponent often ccauses the Along with the physical change in appearance, shapesshifting into a Humanoid opp hange noticeab bly. This shouldd grant a substtantial bonus to Acting skill checks character’ss voice and mannerisms to ch for posing as a formerly‐d defeated adversary. Mage cannot acccess their normal spell list w while Metamorrphosis is in efffect, and the efffects of this The Blue M transmogriification last un ntil the Blue M Mage is reduced d to 0 hit pointts, until the chaaracter willinglly chooses to reassume ttheir normal fo orm, or the end d of the game session. Any e quipment or ittems the Blue Mage may havve been carrying becomes p part of their new form; a maggical staff mighht become a To onberry’s knifee, and a clusterr of elemental stones nothingg more than a scribbled desiggn on a Magic Urn. at roam the jun ngles of the woorld are rare, thheir most well‐‐known ability is not. While the dangerouss Malboros tha wn through gen nerations of Bllue Mages, thiss technique cann be used to exxhale deadly to oxic fumes that Passed dow leave their foes…and som metimes allies… …crippled. By taking aa Slow action and making a successful opposed Force e check, the Roll EEffect character ccan cause varying degrees of 2 Bad Breath ttargets all allies instead of one eenemy! Roll again. illness with h his breath to one targeted 3‐4 PPoison 5‐8 Poison, Blind, Zombie enemy within a Short Ran nge. Roll 2d6 9‐11 p Poison, Blinnd, Zombie, Stop determine the and consult the table to d 12 Po oison, Blind, Conf fuse, Zombie, St top, Seal Bad Breath. effects of B one step ahead d of the cold shadow of mortaality, forever juust out of reach h. The grim rea aper You reemain always o holds no po ower over you and when you u do at last dep part this world ffor good it willl be at a time o of your choosin ng. Once per ggame session w when a Blue Maage would gain n one or more points of EXP, a Blue Mage ccan choose nott to take any exxperience poin nts and receive one point of D Destiny insteadd. 25 DA ARK KNIIGHT T あんこく あ Even as the ere is good in tthe world, so m must there be e evil. Thus, evenn as the Paladins arre the chosen o of light, so therre are the chossen of shadow to match them. ey will never acchieve the sam me level of dom minance over B Black Magic Though the as a mage, Dark Knights aare capable of casting their share of spells tto cripple mies with negattive status effe ects, or raise an n army of undeead allies… their enem es not have to ggo through tessts of spirit Unlike the Paladin, the Dark Knight doe on to prove the eir worth, and in that respect they often claaim their and emotio superiorityy to their shinin ng brethren. Th he powers of d darkness gladlyy aid those who wish tto serve them. Thought not aall Dark Knightss are corrupt, m many possess an anger at the w world that simm mers just bene eath the surfacce. e judged so eassily; it is said Still, not all members of tthis Job can be ust have once loved deeply; tthose that those who hate mosst fervently mu who want tto destroy the world must haave once embrraced what theey now set ablaze. de, Dark Knightts channel the unholy energie es of the mast ers of the Poetry asid darkness th hrough their blades and are u unrelenting foe es in combat. Spell Rank HP Bonus: 18 Levels Obtain ned Your w weapon is an a arc of blazing u umbral MP Bonus: 2 Novice 1, 2, 3, 4 fire, fueled d by your ceaseless rage. It cu uts down ACC Bonus: 2 Intermediate 5, 6, 7 lesser foes with ease and d allows you to quickly AVD Bonus:: 4 Expert 8, 10 nstead of havin ng to pause and d deal move on in Skill Points: 20 Superior 12, 14 with worth hless opponentss. nly) Ancient 15 (Scathe on After declaaring the use off Darkside as aan Instant action, the Dark Knight’s next attack or spell Weapons: Blade, Braw wl, Huge deals Shadow damage instead of its normal type Heavy Armor: ditional and has its damage increased by an add Magic Schoool: Black has a price three stepss. While powerrful, Darkside h – after the attack resolve es (whether it m misses or damage is dealt), the Darrk Knight loses 25% of mum HP. If the e Darkside attack is a critical h hit or causes a Limit Break, itt destroys 50% % of the user’s H HP their maxim instead. uced to 0 hit points by using Darkside oftenn inherits a phyysical souvenirr – blackened vveins A Dark Knigght who is redu or hollow e eyes, a visual re eminder of the eir inability to rremain in conttrol. Instincct conquers inttellect. You may usse your Force sscore in place o of your Finesse e score to calcuulate maximum m skill caps. 26 he corner of yo our eye, you ca atch the long shhadow you casst seeming to m move of it’s ow wn Somettimes, out of th accord….an nd with each sw wing of your w weapon, creepin ng tendrils andd multi‐legged shapes pour fo forth from this shade silhouette, writhing and sskittering acrosss the ground. These aspectss of darkness seeem to viciouslly attack the other n the area, not discriminating g between frien nd and foe. shadows in By declarin ng the usage off Shadeblade as an Instant acction, your nexxt physical attaack has a rangee of Local and damages all nearby targe ets…enemies, allies, unarmed onlookers, e veryone exclud ding yourself. mendous attaccks You beecome strongeer as you near death ‐ not weeaker ‐ and aree capable of maaking truly trem even when you may be to oo injured to sttand. mage they deal is increased byy one step, and d all physical When the Dark Knight is at 50% health or less all dam e treated as Sh hadow damage e if they choosee. This ability m may be taken u up to three tim mes, damage they deal may be increasing the damage sttep by one each time. walk hand‐in‐ha and with death h and destructiion, your spellss powerful enough to bring en ntire legions to o their You w knees at on nce. After activaating Black Skyy as an Standarrd action, the n next time the D Dark Knight cassts any of the ffollowing spells ‐ Arise, Bio, Curse, Poison, Blind, Melt, Drain, Virus, Berrserk, Zombie or the powerfu ul Scathe ‐ it iss treated as a G Group enemy. spell insteaad of targeting only a Single e pecialize in abu using the statu us vulnerabilitiees of your foes,, corroding theeir bodies and wasting their m minds You sp away. Afteer all, if you don n’t hit ‘em whille they’re down n, they might aactually get baack up again. After obtaining this job ability your ene emies suffer a ‐‐2 penalty on oopposed Force rolls to resist any status effeects pt to inflict upo on them. This aability may be taken up to thhree times and penalizes your foes’ resistan nce you attemp rolls by an increased ‐2 penalty each tim me. ome people, ha atred is a state of mind; for yo ou, it’s a hobbyy. You hold succh malice, such h rage toward a an For so entire phylum of monsterrs that whenevver one falls byy your hand youu find your bloodlust reneweed and your advvance becoming iincreasingly relentless. The Dark K Knight’s weapons are all treatted as having the [Monster] EEater propertyy of the charactter’s choice, allowing th hem to regain h health whenevver they kill a m monster of the chosen speciees. This ability m may be taken multiple tim mes, gaining one additional [[Monster] Eateer property eacch time. Each time tthe Dark Knigh ht defeats a Boss‐type enemyy, they may chaange the type of [Monster] EEater propertiees this job ability ggrants. For exaample, upon ob btaining Vende etta, the Dark KKnight might cchoose Humanoid Eater. Afteer killing a Boss, he might ch hoose to changge the bonus ggranted to Con struct Eater instead. 27 g your foes hellpless and vulnerable strengthens the dark energy that coourses through you, making yyour Seeing magic easier to access. on (such as witth a critical hit,, limit break, th he Fear status or Whenever you interrupt an enemy targget’s Slow actio ext spell as a Sttandard actionn instead of a SSlow action. knockback effect) you maay cast your ne oint your weap pon at your adversary like an n accusatory m iddle digit, andd an ethereal rred spike rips You po through them from below w. The life‐enerrgy stolen from m the target fillls your veins annd renews you ur unholy streng gth. ng Night Sword d as an Instant action once per combat, thee Dark Knight’ss next attack gaains the HP Drrain, By activatin Lucky and ZZombie Touch weapon prope erties, and becomes able to ttarget enemiess even at a Lon ng Range. actions have tra ansformed you ur soul into som mething caustiic and foul, andd your blood is a thick, black liquid Past a that seeps ffrom your wou unds like boiling tar. All Humano oids begin playy with a weakn ness to the Shadow element, player charactters included; after obtainingg Bad Blood, you now absorb Shadow damage instead of be eing vulnerablee to it. of absolute darrkness. You riip through the ffabric of realitty and into the nether world bbeyond, callingg forth a well o The shadow wy vortex rapid dly drains yourr strength even n as it sucks thee life force from m your foes. W When it has consumed enough of you ur essence to leeave you a wea akened husk, itt seeks out a neew champion tto empower…. ndard action yo ou can taint th he battlefield and cause it to transform into o difficult terraain, dealing With a Stan Recurring D Damage to the e Dark Knight and all her enem mies each rounnd based on heer level; consult the chart on n p.153. Thiss non‐elementaal damage is no ot reduced by M.ARM. If the Dark Knight has the e lowest curren nt HP in the paarty, at the endd of each turn w while the Difficcult Terrain peersists Drain propertyy. This benefit lasts until the sstart of the Dark they may ggrant one other ally of their cchoice the HP D Knight’s ne ext turn. Devouring Void ends imm mediately if the e Dark Knight is knocked unc onscious, or do oes not suffer this recurring n their turn. damage on 28 guishing the sp park of life heig ghtens your adrrenaline rush, making you strronger and fasster. In time, an nd Exting with enoug gh destruction left in your wa ake, you’ll beco ome unstoppabble. The Dark K Knight’s combat prowess is te emporarily auggmented for eaach foe she red duces to 0 hit p points. A charaacter with Soul EEater receives aa +1 increase to ACC and their damage stepps (both physiccal and magicaal) per enemy tthey personally deal the killingg blow to in combat. The effe ect is cumulativve – for examp ple, a Dark Knigght who normaally will have 9 ACC C and deal (RESS x 8) damage aafter killing 6 o opponents. has 3 ACC aand deals (RESS x 2) damage w The bonuse es granted by SSoul Eater last until the Dark Knight missess or otherwise deals no damaage with an atttack, reduces an n enemy to 0 hit points and chooses to knocck them unconnscious instead d of killing them m, or until the end of combat, at which point the values re eset back to no ormal. Enemiess who don’t po ose a true threaat to the Dark Knight don’t grant this bo onus, and oppo onents with the Swarm monsster ability only count as onee adversary. pernatural or ph hysical ‘callingg card’ on your enemy. Some Dark Knights ffeel a You have the ability to leave a sup ar is the best w way to make th heir opponent n never forget thhe encounter –– others mark ttheir targets with physical sca magic thatt leaves a creep ping sensation of being watch hed. Either waay, this mark coonnects the Da ark Knight and his target with h a sinister pow wer. With a stan ndard action an nd a successful opposed Forcce roll, the Darrk Knight may sspend three po oints of destinyy to establish a powerful Marrk of Dominatio on on the targe et. Once the m mark has been eestablished, th he character an nd his nnected by dark magic, only b breakable withh equally poten nt holy energy.. This allows th he target are llinked and con Dark Knight to always kno ow exactly where his target iis (even if sepaarated by hund dreds of miles) and he receives a D against the m marked target iin combat. +3 bonus to ACC and AVD only the beginn ning. Once perr session as an Instant action the Dark Knight may physicaally take contro ol of But this is o the target’s body – again, no matter the e distance betw ween them. Inn combat the link acts as an u unresistible Cha arm or one round, e easily long enough to make thhe target hurl his weapon aw way, turn on his own status whicch only lasts fo allies, or an ny number of o other things. O Outside of combat, the possesssion is longerr; often up to several minutess at a time, and aaffects even en nemies who wo ould normally be immune to the effects of Charm. As normal, the dominated or charmed ttarget instinctiively resists anny direct comm mand that would cause needless nd forcing a do ominated oppo onent to hurl thhemself off a ccliff or attack th hemself often physical haarm to itself, an severs the connection. Mark of Dominaation at any tim me, and may o nly have one ttarget marked at a time. A Dark Knigght may end M ame of this rarrely‐spoken of ability is neitheer embellishmeent nor metaphorical. The ab bility to devourr the The na souls of theeir fallen foes iis the ultimate expression of a a Dark Knight’s ’s ruthlessness and utter lackk of compassion n. Upon obtaining this job aability, a deathblow may be p performed on aany foe that haas been reduceed to 0 hit poin nts by of Destiny, oncce per combat. The description of the movee is up taking a Staandard action and spending a single point o to you, butt a successful ccompletion of aa deathblow is a horrific sigh t to behold and causes all foes to be afflictted with the ne egative status e effect Fear for one round (an nd the Dark Knnight’s allies miight be equallyy shocked). Usiing Souleater aalso permanen ntly grants the Dark Knight a + +2 bonus to tw wo different atttributes of theeir choice. Enemies killed in this fash hion cannot be e revived with the expenditu re of Destiny, aand only creatures with the bility can possibly make a re‐appearance affter such a hor rific exchange.. Undying ab 29 DRA D AGOO ON 竜騎士 In the natu ural world, no ccreature is morre uniformly fe eared and resppected than Dragons; itt should come as no surprise,, then, that som me warriors struggle to battle more like the ese majestic ent years learn ning to mimic tthese creatures. Some have spe ers are distantlly descended ffrom the drago ons traits. Othe themselvess or have made e a pact with a draconic ally. Whatever tthe source of ttheir powers, these heroes have the capability tto leap unbelie evable heights, earning a placce in legends as "those that fly like a drragon." Often tthey serve as ssoldiers positiooned within ntry, but some e Dragoons mayy find it more ffeasible to an army's ccavalry or infan hone the supernatural asspect of their D Dragon arts outtside the realm m of the hey often have e a reputation o of completing even the mostt suicidal military. Th missions, m more willing to take leaps of ffaith than othe er martial classses. In some regio ons, the Dragoo on almost alwaays acts in dire ect service to rooyalty. HP Bonus: 16 oon is to break the bonds of g gravity and leapp to The gifft of the Drago MP Bonus: 0 incredible h heights with a single bound. They can use tthis to maneuvver ACC Bonus: 2 around thee battlefield, do odge hostile atttacks and spellls when they hhave AVD Bonus: 5 forewarnin ng, and even atttack their enemies from grea at heights. Skill Points: 18 With a Stan ndard action th he Dragoon maay leap a Long range – vertic ally, horizontally, or both. Upo on doing so, th he Dragoon’s tu urn immediateely Weapons: Reach on’s next turn tthe character iis ends. Until the beginningg of the Dragoo Armor: Medium, Heavyy d to be soaring through the air too quickly tto be targeted,, and considered the Dragoo on is Immune tto any negative e or beneficial Single‐target attacks or sspells. Status cconditions such h as Poison continue to o affect the Dragoon while th hey’re Jumpingg, and the charracter can still be affected byy Group or Locaal target attacks. When the Dragoon lands at the beginn ning of their neext turn, they m may make an instant Force check ous melee attaack against onee enemy within n a Short Rangge – to destroy the surface they land on, or an Instantaneo not be a criticaal hit or a limit break. however, tthis attack cann Spells and effects treat th he Dragoon as having the Auto‐Flight statu s during the usse of this innatte ability, preveenting ng damage or b being affected by Earth‐baseed spells and ab bilities for the duration of Jump. them from suffering fallin on may only usse Jump while on a reasonab bly solid surfacee, and while rid ding a mount ccapable of Flight the The Dragoo attack is ge enerally more o of a swoop thaan a jump. heir lance, Drag goons Intenssive training with a single weeapon does havve its advantagges. By becomiing one with th are capablee of felling multiple enemies with a single, p powerful strikee. A dragoon with this abilitty is treated ass having the Follow‐Through w weapon propeerty on all Reacch weapons hee o effect if the D Dragoon is dual‐wielding or ootherwise usingg more than a single weapon n in wields. This ability has no combat. 30 been passed on n through the a ages from Draggon to Dragoonn; a rapid lancce strike, fasterr than This teechnique has b the eye can n see, causes th he hazy spiritual quintessencce of your enem mies to spill forrth. ‘Borrowing g’ this life‐forcee heals the Dragoo on and his alliees. By declarin ng the Dragoon n is activating LLancet as an Instant action, thheir next attacck deals (MND x Weapon Tier) + 2d6 points of damage witth a successfull attack, and th he Dragoon andd all their allies recover HP aand MP equal tto this value. Lanccet cannot cause a critical hitt or a limit breaak. This ability may normallyy be used only o once per comb bat; however, tthe Dragoon reegains the use of Lancet wheenever heir ‘Threaten’ ability. they use th ulnerabilities off the creaturess you imitate. Intensse training has given you insight into the vu By activatin ng Ancient Circcle as a slow acction, the Draggoon and his al lies gain the D Dragon Killer prroperty on anyy weapon they wield until combat ends. nhale deeply an nd close your eeyes, envisionin ng the powerfuul breath of thee draconic guardians who insspire You in you. When you exhale it iisn’t air that flo ows from your r lungs, but a bllast of fire or liightning that ssuppresses you ur al attacks. foes’ magiccal and physica You may pe erform either o of the attacks listed below ass a Standard acction. They req quire a successsful attack roll but cannot cau use critical hits. Fire Breath h: A cone of colorful flame jetts scalds all sho ort‐range enem mies for (PWR x Half Level) ++ 2d6 points of M.ARM Fire damage. In aaddition, unless your enemie es succeed on aan opposed Fo orce roll, Fire Breath inflicts th he negative sttatus effect Blin nd. Bolt Breath h: White‐hot b bolts of energy electrocute all short‐range eenemies for (M MND x Half Leveel) + 2d6 pointts of M.ARM Ligghtning damage. In addition, unless your targets succeed on an opposed d Finesse roll, Bolt Breath infflicts the negativve status effectt Seal. apable of directting the ebb an nd flow of com mbat, forcing ennemies to turn and face you iin You’ree capable of ca order to prrotect more vullnerable party members. Upon landiing a Critical Hit upon an ene emy, the Drago oon can choosee to treat the aattack as if it w was a normal hit instead. If h he does so, thiis job ability acctivates instead d of anything aassociated with h a critical hit, and passively fforces the target tto specifically aattack the Dragoon for 4 rounds, until the D Dragoon is Unconscious, or o otherwise no lo onger a threat (fo or example, wh hen afflicted byy a status effecct such as Petri rification, Charm m or Sleep). Alll offensive attaacks must either be directed aat the Dragoon n, or include the Dragoon am ong the targetts. If the Drago oon cannot be due to Jump, fo or example) or damaged the enemy may atttack freely, bu ut is treated ass being afflicted d by targeted (d Power Brea ak and only deals 50% physiccal damage to tthe Dragoon’s allies. Spell daamage remainss unchanged. Using Threaten rechargess the Dragoon’’s ‘Lancet’ abiliity if they posssess it. 31 ave been perceeived as arroga ant for their vieew that all otheer creatures were beneath th hem, The drragons may ha but in many ways this philosophy has m made its way in nto the fightingg styles of the D Dragoons overr the millennia. You have comee to accept thatt battle is not jjust bloodshed and magic andd steel; it is a ccontest of willss, and your streength soars to neew heights wheen your adversaries begin to ffalter and fall. The Dragoo on may activatte Rising Strenggth as an Instant action afterr reducing an eenemy to 0 hit points. After d doing so they maay re‐roll one d dice whenever they make a physical attack for the remain nder of combatt as if they werre dual‐wieldiing. This bonuss dice does nott apply during Teamwork Atttacks. The biigger they are… … When fightting an Aerial e enemy or a target possessingg the ‘Large’ bioological monstter ability, the Dragoon gainss a +1 bonus to ro olls to their AC CC score and de eals an additional damage steep with all attaacks to that tarrget. If the targget is a Large Aerrial creature, then these effe ects stack, gran nting a +2 bonuus to both ACC C and a two dam mage step incrrease. ain pours down n your face and d armor in stea ady streams, buut you can’t heelp but smile. TThe downpour would The ra hide your eeastward appro oach until it wa as too late, and d the thunder w would obscuree the noise of yyour mount… You have le earned how to o use adverse e environments tto your advanttage. Wheneveer you fight in D Difficult Terrain that would apply a negative m modifier to com mbat rolls (such h as a raging bllizzard or paniccking crowd) th hese are applieed as n the equipmen nt chapter for 50% bonuses instead. Furtherrmore, you mayy purchase anyy ‘Elemental Sttones’ listed in of their normal price. n the battlefield d, striking apprroaching foes rreflexively. You arre a dervish on Whenever an enemy makkes a Short Ran nged physical aattack against you, they auto omatically takee physical damage M, Protect, and d Unusual Defeense. Damage ttaken from Wh hirling Spear do oes equal to (Finesse x Level)), ignoring ARM before the eneemy makes theeir attack roll. not provokke counterattaccks, and the daamage occurs b up around you as you land, h hurling foes bacckwards and crrushing the cobblestones ben neath The grround craters u your feet. ow calculate damage with Re each weapons with your DEXX attribute instead of PWR, and when making an You may no attack with h Jump, you no ow target all en nemies within aa Short Range of your landing. If you succe essfully deal daamage to a tarrget with a Jum mp attack you m may also causee a short‐rangee knockback with a successful opposed Force e roll. 32 orce yourself to o remain stand ding after even the most grievvous of injuriess, fighting with h the unrelentin ng You fo fury of the dragons themselves. And wh hen the battle sseems unwinnaable, you can ttake on the cou untenance of o one of ancient beings you emulate a and persevere against even ttitanic adversaries. the great, a The characcter passively receives the efffects of the Au uto‐Life status aat the start of eeach combat, aallowing them to return to o one hit point affter any attack that would cause them to faall. Furthermore, by spending 3 points of D Destiny as an In nstant action a t any time, thee Dragoon can temporarily ch hange oid to Dragon, negating his raacial weaknesss to Shadow an nd granting a w whole slew of o other his species from Humano abilities. Th he Dragoon gains the effects of Fear Proof, Curse Proof annd Seal Proof aand becomes immune to Knockback effects. When never the charaacter uses the Threaten job aability, it affectts all enemies iin the targeted d d finally, while in this state, aany attack that would reducee the Dragoon tto 0 hit points or less has a 5 50% Group. And chance of leaving the Draagoon with 1 hit point remain ning instead. e Dragoon is reendered uncon nscious or theyy gain a point o of The effectss of Dragonheaart last until the next time the Destiny. ntly lunge at th he You’ree a blur of mottion on the battlefield, capitalizing on your aawesome mobbility to constan weak pointts of your adveersaries. The Dragoo on’s critical hitt rate is improvved by one 1. TThus, when usi ng a single Reaach weapon, th he attacks from m the Dragoon w will result in a C Critical Hit on a roll of 10‐12 in nstead of the sstandard 11‐122. When using non‐Reach weapons, aattacks from th he Dragoon willl result in a Critical Hit on a rresult of 11‐122 instead. This ccan be combin ned with the Lu ucky weapon p property to imp prove the Draggoon’s critical hhit rate even fu urther. This ability has no effect if the Dragoon n is dual‐wielding or otherwisse using more tthan a single w weapon in com mbat. and pursue theem Using your lance likee a lever, you ccan launch a friiend or an oppponent into thee air with you a into the skyy. The Instanttaneous attackk granted by th he use of the Ju ump innate ab ility is treated as though the Dragoon has tthe Aerial Killerr property and d has its damagge increased byy two steps; a Dragoon who lands and lashes out for (PW WR x 5) would now w deal (PWR x 7 7), and so on. If any alliess or enemies are within a Sho ort Range of yo ou upon using tthe Jump abilitty, you may fling any or all off them upwaard before you ur leap. Until th he start of yourr next turn, thoose affected byy Highwind aree treated as if tthey were Jump ping as well; they are forced into mid‐air an nd cannot be taargeted by attaacks or spells that focus only a single indivvidual. The laun nched creature es may not beggin any Slow acctions while in mid‐air. When the JJump ends, your foes are smashed into the e waiting grounnd below and immediately lo ose 50% of their maximum health (unless they possess tthe Defy Gravitty ability or aree capable of Flight) – just in ttime for you to o of including th e launched tarrgets. Any alliees affected by make your Jump attack roll, which is ussually capable o may land safelyy alongside you u. Highwind m Creatures w who are immune to Knockbaack effects are immune to thee effects of Higghwind as well, and Submergged enemies ob bviously lose th hat benefit wh hen they’re thrown into low aatmosphere. 33 ENG GINEE ER モーグリ モ ots, airships – the Engineer's mechanical wizardry conjurees any Drills, robo number of miracles from bolts, oil, and a little ingenu uity. Though th eir eers channel m most of talents extend to all machines great and small, Engine with their energgy into temporarily augmentiing their allies’ simple gear w mechanical and magical ‘‘features.’ Despite the occasiional explosivee ouble the Engin neer’s determi nation malfunction, failure only seems to redo and these iindomitable inventors remain the intellectu ual backbone bbehind more than one prosperou us party. HP Bonus: M MP Bonus: A ACC Bonus: A AVD Bonus: SSkill Points: 116 00 11 44 226 Throug gh the wonderrs of SCIENCE th he Engineer ca an not only crafft fantastic w weapons and arrmor, but also transform them m into jetpackks. As a Standaard action, you u may grant tw wo bonus weap pon properties to any weapo on or piece of aarmor one ally has equipped. The first one oof these prop perties must be e Explosive, and d the second m may be any of tthe following; W Weapons: Brawl, Huge, Ranged ment] Enhanceer, Alchemist, Auto‐Flight, Auto‐Protect, Auto‐Shell, [Elem Armor: Liight, Medium nt] Ward, Skill B Bonus (Enginee er’s Choice), [Element] SStrike, [Elemen Therapeutiic, SOS‐Invisible, Glowing, and, with very exxplicit GM permission n on a case‐by‐case basis, Spe ecial Ability. Invent mayy only grant bo onuses to one p piece of equipm ment at a timee, and the efffects have a 25 5% chance to e end at the end of said ally’s tuurn . Each weapon property (other than Explosive) may only be ap pplied one time per game session – meaninng you could o only grant a +2 bonus to a roll via Skill Bonus once, not oncce for every different type of Skill. This mighht be very bad news for the iindividual using his nt to soar throu ugh the cloudss, or when an aally’s cloaking d device starts fizzling newly‐convverted Auto‐Fliight equipmen right as the ey start sneakin ng through ene emy lines. Weaapon propertiees are discusseed in more detaail starting on p.128. an Engineers kkeep a close eyee on their comrades' equipm ent, ensuring tthat it is alwayys in top condittion. Vetera And if it isn n’t, well…nothin ng that a few m minor adjustm ments and accouuterments cann’t fix. Upon gaining this ability, choose one ally; the Enginee er and that allyy receive the Inndestructible p property on all d armor they h have equipped. The equipmeent also loses the Fragile and Broken properties, weapons, aaccessories and if applicable. Upon defeaating a Boss….or, if the unthiinkable happen ns and the choosen ally dies….the Engineer m may choose a new ally to keep p maintained. This ability may be taken multiple timess, choosing one additional al ly each time. TTherefore, an EEngineer who h has ntenance three e times may loo ok after three allies as well aas herself. taken Main 34 now exactly wh hich wires to yyank out when shutting downn dangerous coonstructs, and a are especially g good You kn at using their spare partss to further you ur arsenal of Reefined weaponns. ndard action, tthe Engineer atttempts to disaable a consciouus, Construct‐ttype enemy wiithin a Short Raange. With a Stan The Engine eer makes an o opposed Force or Finesse che eck. If the Enginneer wins the cconstruct suffeers (MND x 10)) + 2d6 points of Non‐Elemental M.ARM daamage. Furthe ermore, the firsst time Salvagee is successful each game sesssion, e Component even if the target isn’t a Notorious Monsteer or the Engineer automatically receives a tier‐appropriate Boss. ngineer has disscovered a blacck, crude oil th hat works marvvelously for greeasing cogs in h her inventions – it’s The En also a bit o of a fire hazard d. How fortunatte! Chemical SSpill may be acttivated as a Staandard action at any time, orr Instantly wheenever the Enggineer rolls or ssuffers a critical hit. et of your choice. If successfuul, the target lo oses any Resisttance or Immu unity Make an opposed roll agaainst one targe ment of the Engineer’s choice e and gains a V Vulnerability too that elementt instead. The eeffects of Chem mical to one elem Spill last un ntil the target ssuffers damage e of the chosen n elemental tyype. he inner workin ng of machiness allows you too easily point o out their ‘stresss Your eexhaustive experience with th points’ to yyour allies. By activatin ng Junkyard ass a slow action,, the Engineer and her allies ggain the Consttruct Killer prop perty on any weapon they wield until combat ends. pts to create so omething from m scratch sufferrs a penalty wiithout proper Normally, a synthesist who attemp ms and a feasib ble workspace. Amateurs! REA AL inventors caan cobble togeether a working g scale model o of an mechanism airship with h little more th han a handful o of twigs and leaves, antlion m mucus, and som me old‐fashion ned elbow grea ase. The characcter with this ability never takkes negative pe enalties to Synnthesis checks under any circcumstances. In addition, th hey gain a +2 b bonus to Scave enge skill checkks. now how to co oax the most ou ut of your inventions, whetheer this refers too a troupe of sccuttling miniatture You kn robots, a bizarre mode off transportation, or simply yo our powerful baattle armamennts. ehicle – created d with the sha red abilities off the same nam me – possessed d by Each Animaal Companion and Special Ve yourself orr the party gain ns one addition nal talent from the list so lon g as the critterr or transport aare mechanicaal in nature. Mo ore importantlyy, the Engineer deals an addiitional damagee step with anyy weapon she ssynthesized heerself, representin ng an intimate connection with the sword o or blade or roccket‐propelled tuna that otheer warriors sim mply wouldn’t have. 35 ngineer possessses a bizarre sstrongbox that can be openedd to release aggonizing noise, plumes of The En multicoloreed smoke, asto onishingly beau utiful music, toy Moogle headds on a spring, and various other eccentric surprises. A Although dangerous and unreeliable, the Pan ndora’s Box caan be a powerfful tool as a lasst resort….not tto mention a great conversa ation‐starter! ng this Job Ability, the Engineer obtains an iinventory item m known as Pan ndora’s Box. An nyone who opens Upon takin this fragile wooden contaainer as an Insttant action sets it in motion aand causes ran ndom status efffects. dora’s Box is used, the character that opened it When Pand rolls 1d6 an nd consults the e chart to the rright for the status R Roll Result effect. Then flip a coin – ccalling it correcctly means thaat 1 Red Spriing: Poison e applied to alll allies, and neggative positive staatus effects are 2 Blue Screew: Blind status effects are inflicted d upon enemie es. Calling it 3 Green Gear: Stop incorrectly means the revverse is true. 4 Silver Disc: Sleep only be activate ed once per co ombat, The Pandora’s Box may o 5 Gold Batttery: Haste and if the item is ever losst, it tends to fiind its way bacck into 6 Rainbow w Moogletron: Protect and SShell n over the course of several h hours. If the Engineer’s possession destroyed, another identtical Pandora’s Box appears to n roughly the ssame frame of time. replace it in ave those propulsion rockets artificial intelliigence and hoo oked them up to They ccalled you crazzy when you ga your favoriite pair of loafeers. BUT WHO’’S LAUGHING A AND NOT ON FFIRE NOW? The first tim me each game session that th he Engineer is reduced to 255% health or lesss, they may use their Inventt innate ability as an Instan nt action even if it isn’t their turn. When ussed in this way, Invent functio ons even if ano other n’s equipment is already bein ng modified. companion now how to turn a profit with h your inventio ons, and how too turn your oldd castaways intto prime goodss with You kn a bit of pollish and smooth h talk. Although ittems that have e been Synthessized may imm mediately be soold for their full value, normally an adventurer would be lu ucky to get 50% % of the listed market price ffor well‐worn eequipment or miscellaneous treasure procured during a long dungeon crrawl. oose to make aa Mercantile skkill check once per session wh hen selling an item. But a charaacter with this ability can cho Success on this roll mean ns the item in q question sells for 100% of thee normal goingg rate regardless of the norm mal value. a moment’s ap ppraisal you arre able to judgee minute detailils about any oppponent. With a After usingg this ability as a Standard acttion, the charaacter automaticcally learns thee level, speciess, elemental strengths aand weaknesse es, and Job (if itt has one) of a single target. 36 \ D! Gentleemen, BEHOLD Upon usingg Clockwork To ools as an Instaant action, the Engineer choooses one effectt from the follo owing list and ggains the benefitts of that Tool until the end o of the current rround. The higgher the Engineeer’s Systems sskill, the higher the level of Clo ockwork Tool th he character iss able to choosse. For examplee, Auto‐Crossb bow requires th he character to o have a minimum m of 1 skill in Syystems, where the Drill requires a minimum m skill of 13 to choose. Each ttype of Clockw work Tool may b be used once per session. Gain ned Propertiess Skill Auto Crosssbow: Launching arrows from a rottating spring‐loadeed clip that never seems to run dry, the character’s ph hysical 1 3 5 7 9 11 13+ attacks thiis round can deal d damage at a Medium Range. They ggain a +2 bonus to ACC when attackiing Short‐Range taargets. Bio Blaster: Flesh‐eating baacteria in living slim me and airborne ddiseases are not ju st interesting to sttudy, they’re also effective! W Whenever the Enggineer deals damage this round, ma ke an opposed Foorce check with a ++2 bonus; if successsful, the target also receives the effects of the negative status effectt Poison. e ‘ol stare‐directly‐‐into‐the‐bulb‐which‐ignites‐with‐thhe‐glow‐of‐ten‐th ousand‐suns‐trickk gets ‘em every tim me. Flash: The Wheneverr the Engineer deals damage this rou und, make an opp osed Force check with a +2 bonus; iif successful, the ttarget also receivves the effects of tthe negative status effect Blind, andd then often annouunce this fact loud dly and repeatedlyy. Noise Blasster: You knew yo ou’d find a use for this gizmo eventuually! Whenever thhe Engineer deals damage this round d, make an oppose ed Force check with a +2 bonus; if su uccessful, the targeet also receives thhe effects of the neegative status effeect Confuse. Chainsaw:: Subtlety is for sisssies. Physical attaacks made this rouund deal an additioonal two damage steps. Drill: Sharrp enough to piercce the heavens the emselves, all of thee Engineer’s attaccks this round com mpletely ignore all forms of damage e reduction; ARM, M.ARM, Protect, Shell, Unusual deffense, and so on. Micro Misssile: Some might call this overkill, b but nuking your ta rget from orbit is the only way to evver really be sure. All attacks maade this turn treatt the Engineer as h having the Break D Damage Limit, Spe llburst: Flare and TTriple Critical prop perties on her equ uipment, and may be made at a Lon ng Range. By spendding one point of D Destiny, you may aalso temporarily in ncrease your critical hit rate by one. So, a character th hat spends 4 point s of Destiny wouldd roll a critical hit on a result of 8‐122 this turn. m the merely talented. This illlustrious abilitty separates the consummatee crafters from For every p point of Destiny that the Engiineer spends w when Synthesizzing a weapon or armor to ad dd a d6 to the check, the equipment is ttreated as bein ng one tier high her than it rea lly is for the pu urpose of choo osing weapon eceive more th han the standaard number of properties, on nly gains accesss to properties.. The weapon sstill does not re properties that would oth herwise not be e allowed. For example, an Enngineer could spend six poin nts of destiny to o roll e Synthesis check, as well as ggrant the resulting Tier 2 weaapon the Breakk Damage Limiit property norrmally 8d6 on the reserved fo or legendary eq quipment. dept than most t at utilizing potions and suppplies in the heaat of combat. You arre far more ad Whenever the Engineer u uses an item on themselves o or an ally, that target may alsso recover (Enggineer’s MND x Half nts of HP and M MP as regeneraation. This even n applies to iteems that normaally don’t heal,, such as a Pho oenix Level) poin Down. or suffers a neggative status efffect, you may use nearly anyy Furthermore, whenever yyou or an ally ttake damage o e item currentlyy in your inven ntory as an Insttant action by sspending one point of Destin ny, even if this restorative would interrupt an enem my’s turn. You m may even use tthis ability wheen you would b be reduced to 0 0 hit points fro om bat such as Ten nts. the attack. The Engineer may not use ittems that do not normally fu nction in comb 37 EN NTER RTAIINER R 吟遊詩人 吟 n said that all o of life is but a dream. The Entertainer know ws better: It has been Life is a son ng. A dance. A masquerade. A A wonder. Each person, plac e, and thing has its own n sound, contriibuting to a graand orchestra tthat resounds through the fabric o of reality. For ssome, the fantaastical tapestryy of the world – the art within all things – is an exxpression of paassion, a miraccle, and a way oof life. For his and more; it is the key to power. the Entertaainer, it is all th The Entertaainer is often aa strange sight on the battleffield. Dressed l ightly and moving witth odd liquidityy, they seem out of place…un ntil they begin to perform the mystic arts that are their livelihood. Then the trutth is easily disccernable – ntertainer is on nly at full powe er when he's su urrounded by ssome that the En powerful frriends, enemie es, or throngs o of admirers. W Whether jugglerrs, mimes, photographers, bards, ro ock stars, tribal expressionistss or dancers, E ntertainers are held in the utmost respect the worlld over. HP Bonus: 14 neled through a songstress’ Wheether it is chann 2 MP Bonus: soothing m melody or a hea avy metal poweer ballad, throu ugh 0 ACC Bonus: dance, pain nting, mimicry,, sculpture, jug ggling or tumblling, AVD Bonus: 6 the echoes of magic can a always be foun nd in your art. Skill Points: 24 Wordless songs and ageless passions usse you as a living conduit to empower yourr allies and stirr the souls of evven Weapons: Arcane, Braw wl, Concealed, Raanged the most hate‐filled entities. Armor: Light h of her allies p passively receivve a The Entertaainer and each bonus to any attribute off their choice e equal to half off the ple, Entertainer’s Perform skill, rounded down. For examp erform might ggrant +5 PWR tto the party Blaack Mage, +5 D DEX to the Ninjja, and so on. TThis an Entertaiiner with 11 Pe bonus is te emporarily lost whenever the e Entertainer iss not participatting in the batttle alongside her friends. Even thouggh this bonus m might increase a character’s FFinesse, characcters may not spend skill poiints based on tthis inflated and ‘fake’ Finesse score. o use their art tto generate a b breathtaking d isplay of diverssions. Make a standard‐actio on The Entertaainer may also Perform skkill check oppossed by one target enemy’s Fo orce or Finessee check, as cho osen by the GM M. On a successsful roll, the Entertainer creattes a serene fie eld of Difficult Terrain; all loccal targets havee their disposittion toward th he party incre eased by one sttep – from Hosstile to Wary, from Wary to N Neutral, or from m Neutral to Friendly. In addition, all allies are e immune to the effects of FFear while upon n the terrain. Maintaining this powerfu ul craft takes an n Instant action every round,, and thus it en nds immediateely if the Enterttainer is ever unconscious or wo ould be afflicte ed by a negativve status effectt that would prrevent this, such as Petrify or Stun. 38 o not need a m microphone – yo our voice is sim mply POWERFU UL. By belting oout a power cho ord you can seend You do foes, admirrers, and articlles of clothing fflying by the sh heer awesome ness of your vooice. By activatin ng Power Chorrd as a Standarrd action once per session, yoou may roll youur Perform skill opposed by tthe Force or Finesse of one e enemy within aa Medium Rangge. That targett immediately ssuffers (Skill Ch heck Result x LLevel) Non‐Elemental M.ARM damagge, and if you w won the oppossed roll, the un nlucky foe also o suffers a Med dium points of N Range knocckback and finds their equipm ment and item ms scattered. A ll items they possessed – weeapons, armor, accessoriess, their invento ory and any ite em listed in the e drop section oof a monster’ss entry – are strewn about an nd must be re‐collected befo ore they can be e used. Use the same rules aand common seense for this ass you would fo or a Disarm action. standard D nce, the characcter has masteered the art of… …throwing and d catching thin ngs. As much an art form as song or dan might seem to be a comedic trick designed solely to amusse children, moost enemies sto op laughing wh hen While this m the kitchen n sinks start flying. Upon gaining the Juggler ability, all of the character’s weapons (inclluding Improbaable weapons)) are treated ass ey were also Raanged, allowingg the Entertain ner to target ennemies at a Medium distance and use her DEX though the score to calculate damage. Furthermore, once per se ession when th he Entertainer would be targ eted by a physsical ranged atttack, such as fiired oulders, they m may make an oopposed Force or Finesse cheeck against theeir bullets or aarrows, hurled shuriken or bo attacker. A A success mean ns they simply ccatch such objects in mid‐fligght and negatee the attack, an nd, when appropriate, may even ad dd the weapon n or item directly to their inv entory. m cannot be caaught, as they are not in a sttate of matter tthat can be paalmed Intangible items such as aan energy beam when they reach the character's grasp. Likewise, projectiles larger tthan the character could conceivably hold, or lift erage Force check, are also o out of the quesstion. with an ave ht, the star of yyour own persoonal epic. Your explosive perfformances help p You weere born to be in the limeligh ensure that you never forr a minute stop p being the cen nter of attentioon, whether it bbe from hundreeds of cheering g fans or merely sshowing off forr your (obvioussly jealous) alliees. Whenever the Entertaine er critically succeeds on a Perrform skill checck or spends a point of Destiny, they also +2 bonus to all checks until th he end of their next turn. Thiss effect is cumulative, so an Entertainer wh ho receive a + spends fou ur points of Desstiny would the en receive a +8 8 bonus to all cchecks until the end of their next turn. or an exit, stag ge left! Not the face! Time fo ered location w where you can take cover and d retreat from the chaos of Once per session, you maay find a shelte his is an Instantt action that caauses the Ente ertainer to be aautomatically rremoved from battle as if theey combat. Th made a succcessful Run Aw way check. The e Entertainer d does not receivve any rewardss from battle iff it ends while she was in hiding. However, sstatus conditio ons continue to o affect the Enttertainer whilee they are hidd den (such as Po oison ppear and rejoin the battle a s a Standard action at the staart of any of th heir or Regen), and the Enterttainer can reap turns. 39 art could span generations; itt has changed lives and herallded you as a ttrue visionary o of your time, and Your a there are m millions in need d of the leadersship of a vision nary. You may ch hoose to use your Perform skkill in place of yyour Negotiatee skill on all checks, and you may reroll anyy dice that result on a 1 when m making a Perform or Negotiatte roll. piece of gil from m a child’s ear, r, you can wigggle your fingerss and transform m a More than just pluckking a golden p nderstorm into o an inferno…a at least, that’s w what everyonee who sees youur trickery will b believe. raging thun Once per combat when aan attack or spe ell would deal Wind, Ice, Firee, Water, Earth h, or Lightning elemental dam mage, nstantly activatte Illusionist to o change the elemental Type to any of the o others listed. Iff the targets haave an you may In Absorbency to the new EElement, they aare treated as h having an Imm munity instead and regain no HP. ell for the standdard 30 MP. The characcter may also cast the Advancced Illusion spe h that outfit? So o last year. Marveel Shoes? With A character with this ability is capable o of equipping a total of two acccessory‐type items at any time, and gainin ng the e times, granti ng access to an n additional acccessory ‘slot’ eeach benefits off both. This ability may be takken up to three time; thus, a character w who has taken FFashionable the maximum off three times m may equip up to four accesso ories ously. simultaneo ur actions spea ak louder than your words. You Mime may be used as a SStandard action n once per rou und. It allows thhe character to o repeat the laast action taken n means using a spell or abilityy the Entertainer does not acctually possess,, or to before his tturn by an ally – even if this m copy Slow A Actions in the span of only a few seconds. YYou may choo se a new targeet for whatever spell/attack/ability is mimicked d. This is subje ect to several im mportant restrrictions. Your stats aand attributes are used in alll calculations, sso there’s no gguarantee thatt mimicked mo oves will be as powerful o or accurate as tthe original. W Whenever a mim micked ability ccalls for a skill ccheck, use the Acting skill insstead of the standard skill. If the Entertainer d does not have enough MP too cast a spell, then that spell cannot be used. own weapons, consumables oor items that tthe user does n not have canno ot be Any actions that involve tthe use of thro Mime cannot be used to duplicate effects caaused by spen nding Destiny, aactions perform med performed. And finally, M er summoning itself. by Espers, or mimicking tthe actual Espe ntertainers batttle in the samee way; some foorm weapons oout of sonic or kinetic energy, y, or Rarelyy do any two En blast targeets with the raw w power of mu usic. Some call fforth painted, abstract creattures, and otheers wield heavyy chains as th hey dance. Reg gardless how yyou choose to kknock ‘em deadd, Weapon of CChoice has you u covered. Whenever you purchase or synthesize aa weapon, you u may also chooose to perman nently grant it tthe Unified making your methods of infliccting harm as m much a part off you as your vvoice or your im magination. property, m 40 ination. And truue artists know w that magic liees in Magic is a boundlesss sea of potential, limited onlly by the imagin the tip of a a quill or pen, in n the pages of a book, in the way the clay flflows around yoour fingertips, or in the sounds of a drunken p party in the ea arly hours of the morning. Thee world is a cannvas awaiting your mental b brush, and you possess thee power to crea ate things thatt exist only as llong as you bennd your mind tto keeping them m real. Objects thaat exist nowhere but in the m mind of the Enttertainer can bbe made real w with enough creeativity and foccus. By expendiing one point o of Destiny, the Entertainer m may dream, ske tch, paint or o otherwise conju ure up a non‐ sentient ob bject that suits her purpose, ssuch as a set o of skeleton keyys, a complex tiimepiece, or a mirror that caan reflect the face of one’s ttrue love…even n if they’ve nevver met. This oobject instantlyy allows the ch haracter to gain n a +4 pose it was dessigned for. An EEntertainer maay never have more than onee such bonus to skkill checks for tthe single purp creation acctive at any givven time, but th he object may be sustained i ndefinitely so long as the chaaracter continues to dream them m into being; w whenever the Entertainer is rrendered Uncoonscious, theirr creation vanisshes as well. Alternative ely for one poin nt of Destiny, tthe Entertainerr may imbue a non‐magical o object with lifee. The object becomes fllexible and mo obile, capable o of understanding simple ordeers and carryin ng out basic tassks, and gains tthe Sentience w weapon property if is an equippable item. O Objects awakeened in this way cannot participate in comb bat on their own, are generally loyal to the Enttertainer that ccreated them, and are as ressilient as the m material they arre of. This could b be used to convvince shackle locks to spring open of their own accord, crreate marionetttes made out o that would d amuse the kin ng himself, or cconfuse oppon nents with surpprised and stru uggling suits of armor. Your frriend lies beateen and defeateed, unable to overcome the trrials that standd before them. They need to be stronger, fa aster, and wiseer to overcomee these obstacles, and they neeed someone w who believes in n them to help make this a realitty. They need yyears or perhap ps even decadees of training in in only a few m minutes. They n need…. a monta age. A Montage e may only be p performed outtside of combat, and, unlike eevery other job b ability in the game, Montagge may ever o only be used on nce. By using the power of yo our arts to the ir greatest effeect, you can dissrupt the norm mal passage of time and use tthis rare opportunity to perm manently unlocck your true po otential, or thee potential of o one osen characterr may immediaately do any or all of the follo owing; other indivvidual of your cchoice. The cho ‐ Underrgo an immediate Job Change e. ‐ Re‐allo ocate their attribute points in any way theyy see fit, so lonng as no single score is reducced to 2 or lesss or increaased higher thaan 30, and the character ends with the sam me number of p points they started with. ‐ ‘Trade e in’ as many Jo ob Abilities as they like for Sh hared Abilities or Job Abilitiees belonging to o their new Job b. The characcter may not change their Lim mit Abilities in this fashion. ‐ Immediately gain 3 p points of Destiiny. art isn’t just som me song and d dance routine – – when you acttivate From thee Heart, you sta and as the epiccenter Your a of a churning orchestral vvortex of magicc and passion. The Difficult Terrain created by your inn nate ability now has two addditional effects in addition to soothing bloodthirstty enemies. First of all, while the art lasts no other fform of Difficult Terrain can ddirectly deal damage to any individual, wheether d monsters thaat oppose them m. the entertaainer or her allies, or even the enemies and Secondly, d during the Art yyou or any allyy may choose tto spend five D Destiny to activvate the Blaze o of Glory destin ny feature discussed furtherr on p.112, without any charaacter death invvolved. The po ower of your crraft really can e world. change the 41 GAM MBLE ER ギャ ャンブラー ー You’re the gamer, the bigg spender, and the epitome o of luck and fatee. believe in placiing objects or ssums of great vvalue on the linne, Gamblers b hoping to w win even greatter prizes ‐ both inside and ou utside the casi no ‐ and manyy a gambler has lost his life to o the mere toss of a coin. Despite the eir dangerous lives, long‐term m planning and d strategic thinking mean nothing to o the carefree G Gambler since they perceive everything in life as a wagger. When these risks pay offf, however, th ey can bring the parties theyy accompany aanything from additional cashh o bringing dyingg allies back to o life. reserves to The Gambler's abilities in n battle are unp predictable and rely heavily oon What will Lady LLuck bring to th he adventure? Press your betts chance. W and keep yyour gun loaded – the stakes are all or noth hing. HP Bonuus: 14 machine reels a appear in the sky Three magical slot m MP Bonu us: 0 nd insubstantia al. By betting w with fate above yourr head, hazy an ACC Bon us: 2 itself, using g the lives of yo ourself and you ur friends as an nte, you AVD Bonnus: 5 can set theese wheels a‐sp pinning…. Skill Poinnts: 24 When the G Gambler uses tthe Slots ability as an Instantt action, the Gamble er chooses one e of the four op ptions listed be elow Weaponns: Blade, Co oncealed, Ranged d (based on tthe desired efffects), rolls 3d6 6 dice and checcks for Armorr: Light, Meedium numerical matches. If none of the three e dice rolled sh how the ber then this iss known as a Bust, causing th he same numb effects liste ed beside the ‘‘Bust’ heading to occur. If two of the dice match h, then the partty will receive the listed bene eficial ‘Normal’ efffects. If all thrree dice match up, this is kno own as a Jackpoot. Slots beneffit all allies with hin a Medium Range, including the Gam mbler. Each Slot effect lasts fo or exactly 1d6 rounds, and th he Gambler maay not use Slotts d. Slots may on nly be used in CCombat with th he exception o of Recovery Reels, again until the current efffect has ended outside of combat once per session. which can only be used o Recoveryy Reels Special: Re ecovery Reels m may only be ussed once per se ession when thhe party is not engaged in combat. Bust: It see ems that the he eroes’ foes alw ways have the e edge. When thhe next combatt takes place, tthe enemy group receives a Pre‐emptive ro ound of combaat. ed by a wave o of healing energies from the G Gambler’s Reeels, restoring 50 0% of their tottal Normal: Alllies are soothe maximum HP and MP as if they had just taken a Trave el Rest. P and receive 1 100% of their tootal maximum m MP as if they had just taken n a Full Jackpot: Alllies are restored to 100% HP Rest. 42 Explosive e Reels Bust: The G Gambler must re‐roll all dice that result in aa 6 for the duraation of the Bu ust. Normal: Th he damage of aall allies is incre eased by one d damage step foor either magiccal or physical attacks – Gam mbler’s choice. he damage of aall allies is increased by two d damage steps for either maggical or physicaal attacks, and all Jackpot: Th allies receivve a +2 bonus to their ACC an nd AVD scores. Valiant R Reels Bust: The p party cannot re ecover HP or M MP or receive the benefits of any healing – whether magiccal or non‐maggical in nature – – for the duration of this effecct. Normal: Alllies recover (G Gambler’s MND D x Half Level) HP or MP at thhe start of each h of the Gambler’s turns as regeneratio on; each charaacter chooses w whether they’d d like to regainn hit points or m magic points att the start of eeach round, and d can alternate back and forth h freely. Jackpot: Alllies recover (G Gambler’s High hest Attribute xx Half Level) HPP and MP at th he start of each h of the Gambler’s turns as reggeneration. Fu urthermore, all allies receive the benefits off an Auto‐Life sspell which fad des when the eeffects of this roll wear off. If an ally is already at zero health, the status acttivates instanttly to restore th heir consciousness. Reel of Fo ortune Bust: Slots may not be ussed again for th he remainder o of the game seession. mbat ends, all aallies instantly receive bonuss gil as defeated d Normal: If the Reel of Fortune is still acctive when com w to enemies exxplode into a shower of coinss, or simply leaave behind theeir hoarded weealth. Consult the chart below determine how much add ditional gil (or setting‐approp priate currencyy) each ally getts. mbat ends, a si ngle Componeent of an appro opriate tier level and Jackpot: If the Reel of Fortune is still acctive when com type is left behind as well as the bonus gil. Level Add ditional Gil 1 20 2 40 90 3 4 200 400 5 6 800 7 1,500 8 2,700 Level Additio onal Gil 9 5,0 000 10 9,0 000 11 16,000 12 28,000 13 50,000 14 85,000 15 150,000 of the Gambler’s roll‐alteringg abilities, not even Cheat Fatte, are usable on Synthesis skill checks. Theey None o cannot be used to alter p percentile‐base ed effects (i.e.; 25% chance) oor to affect outtcomes caused d by Bad Luck. pushes back. Thosee who push their luck tend to ffind that luck p Certain job b abilities cause e the Gambler to accumulate e Bad Luck, a reepresentation of the karma tthey have com ming to them by meddling with p powers beyond d their ken. Wh henever the GM M wishes, he m may ‘spend’ on ne of the Gamb bler’s use the charactter to suffer. Th his Bad Luck caan cause a com mbat roll to be treated as an points of Bad Luck to cau e dice on an atttack or spell w which targets only the Gambleer, or automatic miss/failure, allow a monster to re‐roll one omatically causse a Complication at an extreemely dangero ous moment. force a skill check to auto ount could resuult in a charactter suffering frrom a string of f back‐ Bad Luck iss cumulative, and accumulating a large amo to‐back pro oblems resultin ng in injury or something worse…and perm manent. 43 own opponentss with a hail off gunfire or thro rowing himself f in danger’s wa ay to protect th he Whetther pinning do party mem mber with the th hickest wallet, a Gambler witth this ability iss an ally to keeep close…like itt or not. The Gambler may reroll o one dice whenever he attempts to perform m a Teamwork aattack. haracter mightt be a naturallyy auspicious hig gh roller, but eeven Lady Luckk needs a breakk sometimes. The ch Stacked Deeck ensures tha at things almosst always go acccording to plaan. After obtaining this ability, the Gambler can make anyy ally or enemyy, including him mself, re‐roll. TThis ability mayy be mber of times p per session equ ual to half the Gambler’s Fineesse, rounded down – for exxample, a Gambler used a num with 7 Fine esse could use this ability 3 times per sessio on – but never multiple timess on the same roll, even by different G Gamblers. Stackked Deck may be used at anyy time, even whhen it isn’t thee Gambler’s turrn. ail smashes youu into the crum mbling cave wa all, and your vission Your kknees buckle ass the chimera’ss serpentine ta rapidly beg gins to blur. Deespite the haze and pain you m manage a smirrk, shifting youur wrist to givee you access to the hidden poccket there. Afteer all, a good G Gambler alwayys has one last trick up their ssleeve… Upon takin ng damage thatt would reduce e the Gambler to 0 hit pointss or less, the Gaambler may ch hoose to activaate The Last W Word once per ssession and maake an immediiate physical Coounterattack aagainst the mo onster responsiible, or use one of the followin ng abilities Insttantly, even though it isn’t thhe character’s turn; Wildfire, Skip Town, orr Slots. mstances, and is Unconsciouss (or The characcter cannot gain HP through tthe use of The Last Word undder any circum removed frrom combat, in n the case of Skip Town) as so oon as the couunterattack endds. The Last W Word cannot be e used if the Gaambler was bro ought to 0 HP bby himself or o one of his alliess. an’t help but bask in the limeelight you so rig ghtly deserve, enjoying the ggrandstanding and grandeur that You ca surrounds yyour daredevil feats. Whenever the Gambler ggains a point off Destiny (ideally for heroic aactions of greatt personal risk and swashbucckler‐ ng the star of aan opera in the e middle of a p ublic performaance), roll a 1d d6. He will receeive like daring,, like kidnappin this value aas a bonus to h his accuracy, skkill checks and opposed rolls until the action has died dow wn. If there happens to be any ssource of musicc in the surrounding area, wh hether an Enteertainer’s song or a royal orch hestra, the tun ne immediately changes to b be upbeat and synched with the Gambler’ss actions. million chance o of you being ab ble to pull this off; pretty goood odds, if you do say so yourrself. There’s a one‐in‐a‐m et enemies at u up to a Long Raange without tthe standard ‐4 4 penalty for doing You may usse a Ranged weapon to targe so. Furtherrmore, you gain a +4 bonus to o combat or skkill rolls in any situation wherre you need a dice result of 1 12 or better to su ucceed, wheth her this refers tto accuracy che ecks against exxtremely evasive foes, on opposed Force or Finesse che ecks, or on extremely difficullt skill tests. 44 ne rarely smiless for long, and it’s up to you tto seize every cchance and eveery opportunitty when it doess. Fortun That’s how w you roll – win nning. Once per ro ound when the e Gambler rollss a critical hit o or performs onne with his Savve the Day or W Wildfire job abilities, gets a Jackpot effect on o one of his Slotss, or succeeds o on a skill checkk with a ‘Godlikke’ or ‘Impossiible’ difficulty, he diately take an nother Standarrd action. This does not ‘stackk’ with the Follow‐Through w weapon properrty, may immed and, as perr normal rules, a character m may still never ttake more thann three Standard actions in a single round. n things look th heir most grim,, your audacityy and overconffidence can oftten singlehand dedly turn the ttables. When This ability requires the G Gambler to make a heroic spe eech or suave one‐liner as a Slow action. A After doing so, the Gambler’s next skill checks rolls an additional 2d6 dice, OR the nextt attack roll maade during the turn is an et. automatic critical hit if it successfully sttrikes the targe ediately inflictss one point of B Bad Luck uponn the Gambler. Using Save the Day imme dice are two sid des of the samee coin, and wh en a fight breaaks out you alw ways have yourr head Bravery and coward down and yyour tail up. Then again n, not all Gamb blers embody the virtues of gallantry and daaring. The Gam mbler may perfform Run Awayy attempts in n combat as Instant actions, and may still e earn experiencee (but not desttiny or other awards) when tthe party defeaats foes after the Gambler haas ran away an nd is no longer an active participant. d card when it comes to comb bat, but you’ree willing to do what it takes tto get the job d done. You’ree a bit of a wild The Gambler activates W Wildfire as a standard action, d dealing large aamounts of dam mage but with the potential for o awry. Declare your target aand roll 2d6 insstead of makinng an accuracy check; then, cconsult the chaart things to go below to se ee how the atttack behaves and how much damage is deaalt. Rememberr that Wildfire ccan be combin ned with eleme ental weaknessses and other m multipliers to cconceivably deeal up to 500% damage. Roll Result 2‐3 4‐6 7 8‐9 10‐11 12+ Hiit the deck! Ricochet! R Miss! Hit! Pe erfect Shot! Critical Hit! C Description D The shot goes wi T ild, targeting a raandom ally (not the Gambler) and dealing 200% % damage. The attack target T ts a random com mbatant on eitheer team and deaals normal damaage. The attack misse T es completely, an nd deals no dam mage. The attack strike T s true, dealing n normal damage tto the intended target. The shot is dead‐ T ‐on, dealing 200 0% damage to thhe intended targget. The shot is a criti T ical hit on the intended target, aand deals 300% damage as thou ugh the gamblerr had the Triple Critical weapon property. 45 Gambler is able to alter the co ourse of destinyy itself, unweaaving the strandds of fate and re‐spinning theem in The G a more pleasing manner. e, the Gamblerr spends threee points of Desttiny to alter th he Upon usingg this ability as an instant acttion at any time result of an ny one die roll made by himself or an ally to o any other ressult he likes. (TThat is, a Gamb bler could turn a roll of 2 into a roll of 12 or vicce‐versa.) Obviously, a Gamb bler can’t increease a roll past its theoreticall maximum or minimum. oll resolves, the character maay take this on ne step further and declare he would like to o gamble back the After the ro three pointts of Destiny he spent in usin ng Cheat Fate. If he does so, fflip a coin and attempt to calll the result correctly as heads or tails. If the Gaambler’s playe er calls the coin n toss correctlyy, he receives tthe three pointts of Destiny back. If ncorrectly, how wever, not onlyy will the Destiny be used upp, but the Gam mbler earns a po oint of Bad Lucck. he calls it in This Abilityy may be used at any time, evven when it isn n’t the Gambleer’s turn. Bad Luck cannot afffect the usage of Cheat Fate. ne‐eyed bountty hunter just w wasn’t taking n no for an answeer, and it was hhard to argue properly with tthe tip The on of her sworrd at your thro oat. You can on nly extend yourr hand and let hher snatch thee precious sapp phire eye from your palm. The ssecond her serrrated blade lea aves your neckk you beat a haasty retreat bacck to your airsh hip; that fake w would only buy yo ou so much tim me before disso olving back into o thin air, but tthe brief diverssion was all you ur allies needed. The characcter may now D Dual Wield, using multiple we eapons at a tim me for addition nal bonuses. Better yet, as an Instant aaction, the chaaracter may cre eate a duplicatte copy of any non‐consumab ble item he ho olds, plica copy of his weapon. The ese duplicate ittems vanish seeveral seconds after they leavve the from a sackk of gil to a rep Gambler’s hand no matte er how real the ey may initiallyy appear. The ccharacter may only have onee faux item in er could easily lift in one hand cannot be du uplicated. existence aat a time, and items larger than the Gamble Weapons ccloned in this faashion have th he same tier an nd properties aas the original item; for exam mple, a Ranged weapon that grants a +2 DEX bonus wo ould split into aa second matchhing copy, gran nting a total bo onus of +4 DEX X to er as well as th he one dice rerroll granted fro om dual wieldinng. the Gamble If it wasn’t for Bad LLuck, you’d havve no luck at alll. mbler may choo ose to give up oone of his poin nts of Bad Luckk, instead Upon criticcally hitting an enemy, a Gam transferring the negative karma to his ttarget. Until the end of the e nemy’s next tu urn, the jinxed enemy sufferss a ‐4 matically fails skill checks. Thee enemy is nott usually awaree it has been Jinxed, penalty to every combat roll and autom and generaally tries to batttle normally. Jinx cannott be used if the e Gambler does not have anyy points of Badd Luck, and Nottorious Monsteers and Bossess are able to avo oid this negativve karma by spending one po oint of their preecious Destinyy instead. 46 GEOM G MANCER R 風水士 dity in a world w where man ha s the The Geomaancer is something of an odd power to d defy the laws of nature with m magic and science. Rather th an ignore the natural order, he has learned to become one with h it, calling thee spirits of or aid in his tim me of need. Geo omancers beco ome capable off truly the land fo amazing fe eats as their bo onds with the w world increase ‐ summoning aa blizzard within a vo olcano, creatingg an oasis of w water in the dessert, and stridi ng through molten lava untouched. heir abilities are e keyed to ope erate in the willd, and Geomaancers enjoy Many of th a natural caamaraderie with such placess. Most practitioners of geom mancy live secluded livves far away frrom civilized arreas for precise ely that reasonn. Unlike man ny other Jobs, G Geomancers vary wildly in th heir appearancce. From gigantic barbarian mounttain men to litttle girls wieldin ng oversized beells, to nuggled up in b bright blue sno owsuits and Vie era shamans, G Geomancers Moogles sn run the gam mut from physsically imposingg to downrightt unusual‐lookiing. HP Bonuus: 18 n the You ccan slip into a trancelike statte and call upon MP Bonuus: 0 strength off the soil (or wa ater, snow, lavva, air, inter‐ ACC Bonus: 1 dimensiona al nothingness…) beneath your feet, enhancing AVD Bonnus: 5 your strikess with raw elem mental power and granting Skill Poinnts: 22 beneficial eeffects to yoursself and your a allies. Your casu ual terraformin ng can even result in the area a undergoing m major Weaponns: Arcane, B Brawl, Reach and sometiimes permanen nt changes. Armorr: Light, Meedium There are e eleven types off terrain in all: Plains, Town, Forest, Mountainss, Desert, Swam mp, Water, Und derground, Sno ow, Lava, and C Cosmic. The Ge eomancer mayy usually only u use the Geotrance abilities of the e current terrain the party is on – sometimees this can be ttwo or more different types, in e they may cho oose from eithe er list. (Such ass Town and Forrest, for examp ple.) Each terraain type has th hree which case different efffects – an offe ensive, a defen nsive, and a Maaelstrom effectt. Activating Geotrance is a slow action; in n order to use it, first choosee whether you’’d like to use itts Offensive or Defensive ffunction. Offensive ggeotrances are e always Mediu um‐Range maggical attacks thhat require an aattack roll and have bonus efffects. Such Geotrrances cannot be critical hits;; if the attack rroll for the Geootrance resultss in a pair of 6ss on the roll, th hen the Maelstrom attack mu ust be used in p place of the no ormal Offensiv e ability. When n an attack can n deal one or m more types of daamage – such aas non‐elemental or Earth, fo or example – thhe Geomancerr may choose w which type is used. Maelstrom ms are flashy to opographical outbursts that ccall upon the fuull power of th he local landscaape, which ofteen include Ele emental Fields or Difficult Terrrain. In some rrare cases thesse effects can eeven be dangeerous for the Geomancer and his alliess. Defensive geotrances are e reliable meth hods of supporrting your allie s regardless off your Geoman ncer’s physical his includes eve erything from healing and prrotecting abilit ies, to keepingg your enemiess trapped in place. abilities. Th 47 Geotrance effects that state they last ‘until the end of combat’ or cause Elemental Field effects end when the Geomancer is knocked Unconscious. And finally, although the Geomancer is not a true caster in the traditional sense, a character with the Geotrance ability may perform Intuitive Magic to perform mundane tasks outside of combat, everything from coercing trees to ‘bend’ over and bridge a chasm to creating a pocket of shelter in a desert sandstorm. COSMIC DESERT A blanket category for terrains that don’t fall under any of the other ten types. Whether in the coldest reaches of space or a dimensional rift between worlds, Cosmic energy empowers the Geomancer in even the most far‐reaching of realities. Cosmic Flare (Offensive): A cannon blast of energy erupts from the Geomancer, ripping through a foe with the tremendous force that comes from desperation. Make an attack roll that deals (Highest Attribute x Half Level) + 2d6 points of Shadow or Holy damage. If at least half of your party is Unconscious or dead, Cosmic Flare deals (Highest Attribute x Level) + 2d6 damage instead. Cosmic Embrace (Defensive): The clouds part and one ally is bathed in the light of all creation. The target of this Geotrance receives the positive status effect ‘Regen’ until combat ends. Furthermore, all his equipment is treated as having the Indestructible weapon property as long as the Regen effect lasts. Equipment that already has the Fragile property does not become Indestructible. Great Gospel (Maelstrom): The light of the cosmos shines down upon the battlefield – if applicable, this is accompanied by a light rain. All allies gain may perform Limit Breaks whenever they roll a critical hit, regardless of their current remaining HP. Furthermore, choosing to automatically use a Limit Break only costs 1 points of Destiny instead of the standard 3. Dry areas of often intense heat and relatively little plant growth. Sand and dust is an omnipresent feature of the landscape, particulates that are easily whipped up by passing winds. Sandstorm (Offensive): A fierce gust of sharp wind and stinging sands sweeps up around the Geomancer, lashing out violently. Sandstorm deals (Highest Attribute x Half Level) + 2d6 points of non‐elemental or Earth damage to all targets within a Short Range of the user (enemies and allies alike). All targets that took damage from this attack are then are inflicted with the negative status effect Blind for one round with no resistance roll. Quicksand (Defensive): The dunes beneath one enemy’s feet become liquid goo, which tries to suck the opponent beneath the ground. On a successful opposed Force or Finesse check, one enemy is automatically inflicted with the Stop and Slow statuses for one round. Desert Winds (Maelstrom): The desert storms howl, plastering foes with a layer of sand. Moving becomes difficult as flesh is slowly transmuted to stone. Make an opposed Force or Finesse check against each enemy; if successful, they are permanently inflicted with the Petrify status. Furthermore, the Elemental Field of the current combat then becomes Wind. All Wind‐based spells and attacks in the area – whether wielded by friend or foe – do an additional two steps of damage. WATER Large bodies of fresh‐ or saltwater, ranging from small lakes to great rivers and the mighty ocean itself. Smaller water‐based features, such as a pond found in a forest or a mountain stream, generally do not qualify as Water terrain unless they are prominently involved in a battle. Sliprain (Offensive): Bright light refracts in a mysterious pattern through the water, disorienting and damaging an enemy for (Highest Attribute x Half Level) + 2d6 points of non‐elemental or Water damage. If you possess the Water Strike property, then Sliprain also inflicts the negative status effect Confuse upon the target with an opposed Finesse check. Cascade (Defensive): A soft blue glow surrounds the Geomancer and one ally, restoring (MND x Level) points of MP to each of them. El Nino (Maelstrom): The anger of the ocean itself awakes, washing over all enemies in a surging tidal wave. All enemies take (Highest Attribute x Twice Level) + 2d6 points of Water damage and are knocked back a Medium range. Furthermore, the Elemental Field of the current combat then becomes Water. All Water‐based spells and attacks in the area – whether wielded by friend or foe – do an additional two steps of damage. 48 FOREST LAVA Terrain marked by extensive tree growth, Forests range in size from a small thicket to a sprawling rainforest and cover a wide range of climate types. Arctic forests can use the Forest or Snow terrain sets, while moist, waterlogged jungles might qualify as Swamp terrain as well. Leaf Swirl (Offensive): An eddy of green foliage appears in midair around a single enemy, whirling and buffeting them for (Highest Attribute x Level) + 2d6 points of nonelemental or damage. Leaf Swirl automatically hits enemies with the ‘Skitterish’ or ‘Swarm’ abilities with no need for an attack roll. Wild Bear (Defensive): A large, blue‐furred bear spirit appears, blesses a single party member, and then vanishes. The spirit's blessing instantly cures the target of one negative status condition of the GM’s choice. Hell Ivy (Maelstrom): Thick‐vined ivy with sharp, barbed thorns sprouts up all over the battlefield and strike at every opponent standing in Medium range. The vines deal (Highest Attribute x Twice Level) + 2d6 Earth damage to all foes and transform the current area into Difficult Terrain, causing all enemies and allies who are susceptible to Earth damage to suffer the effects of Speed Break for the remainder of the battle. Speed Break cuts the Finesse, AVD and ACC of a target in half. Areas of extreme heat. Typically volcanic terrain, though fierce blazes, industrial structures such as blast furnaces and magical conflagrations may qualify for this terrain set. Fire Whip (Offensive): A globe of constantly‐flickering red, orange, and yellow streaks across the battlefield, dealing (Highest Attribute x Half Level) + 2d6 Fire damage. If you possess the Fire Strike property, Fire Whip deals an additional two steps of damage. Shining Air (Defensive): Clouds of heat and steam fill the area, adding atmospheric conditions that creatures native to the area have never before experienced. All enemies participating in combat no longer have an Immunity or Resistance to Fire damage. This effect lasts until the remainder of combat. Prominence (Maelstrom): White‐hot fury begins to explode all around you, searing the sky with crimson and boiling the very ground itself. All enemies take (Highest Attribute x Twice Level) + 2d6 Fire damage. Furthermore, the Elemental Field of the current combat then becomes Fire. All Fire‐based spells and attacks in the area – whether wielded by friend or foe – do an additional two steps of damage. MOUNTAINS PLAINS Rocky, elevated terrain with cooler temperatures and sparse ‐ if not outright non‐existent ‐ vegetation. At the highest elevations, air temperature can drop to freezing levels and sharp winds frequently blow; these places may also qualify for the Snow terrain set. Local Quake (Offensive): The power of the Geomancer causes the earth to shake violently, dealing (Highest Attribute x Half Level) + 2d6 points of Earth damage to all enemies within a Short Range. If you possess the Earth Strike property, Local Quake deals an additional two steps of damage. Stone Wall (Offensive): With a soft entreaty, the Geomancer convinces the mountain spirits to protect the party. Jagged walls of thick stone burst forth and grant all allies additional ARM equal to (Level x 3) until the end of combat. Landslide (Maelstrom): This exertion of power causes stones, dirt, and debris of all kinds to be sent cascading across the battlefield. The wave of matter deals (Highest Attribute x Twice Level) + 2d6 points of Earth damage to all enemies, who are also knocked back a Short range. Any ally affected by the negative status effect Petrify is cured of this condition, and any enemy who took damage from Landslide is afflicted with the Stun status for one round. Open areas of relatively level and dry ground where grass and scrubland are the dominant plant life. Colder grasslands might also be Snow terrain areas, while hotter, drier grasslands such as steppes may use the Desert set as well. This set is also used for conditions far away from solid ground, high in the clouds or simply aboard an airship or other flying construct. Wind Shear (Offensive): Multiple blasts of cutting air are launched through the sky toward the target, dealing (Highest Attribute x Half Level) + 2d6 points of Wind damage to one enemy. If you possess the Wind Strike property, Wind Shear deals an additional two steps of damage. Sun Bath (Defensive): Golden light shimmers and dances over the battlefield, restoring (Finesse x Level) + 2d6 hit points to all party members. Tempest (Maelstrom): An unstoppable cyclone fills the area, bolts of thunder crisscrossing the sky. Tempest creates Difficult Terrain for four rounds, causing all enemies and allies to suffer a Short‐Range knockback at the start of each of their turns while the difficult terrain persists, causing a ‐2 penalty to all Vehicles skill checks, and inflicting the Seal status upon all enemies with no roll to resist. Furthermore, the Elemental Field of the current combat then becomes Lightning. All Lightning damage deals an additional two steps of damage. 49 SNOW SWAMP Areas of extreme cold, typically at freezing point or below. Includes environments with high levels of snowfall, though cold tundra and terrain such as icebergs and glaciers also qualify for this set. Icicle (Offensive): Blades of extreme cold sweep up from underfoot, dealing (Highest Attribute x Half Level) + 2d6 points of Ice damage to one enemy. If you possess the Ice Strike property, Icicle deals an additional two steps of damage. Snowdrift (Defensive): The ground is blanketed with powdered snow, and combatants who are sent tumbling find themselves landing comfortably. Snowdrift creates Difficult Terrain that prevents the effect of Knockbacks, and no target can be forcefully moved if they don’t wish to be. Freezeblink (Maelstrom): Snow, ice, and stinging cold envelop all opponents as a veritable blizzard begins to form. All enemies take (Highest Attribute x Twice Level) + 2d6 points of Ice damage. In addition, Freezeblink causes a medium range knockback to all enemies. Finally, the Elemental Field of the current combat then becomes Ice. All Ice‐based spells and attacks in the area – whether wielded by friend or foe – do an additional two steps of damage. Low‐lying wetlands with relatively little solid ground. A swamp can be composed primarily of mud, slow‐moving, or stationary shallow water, and often features a rich array of vegetation. Jungles with high levels of rainfall or tree growth close to a body of water can also exhibit swamp‐like terrain. Will ‘o Wisp (Offensive): A ghostly shape slowly materializes from the end of the Geomancer’s weapon, dealing (Highest Attribute x Half Level) + 2d6 points of Shadow damage to an enemy. If you possess the Shadow Strike property, this attack deals an additional two steps of damage. Heavy Dust (Defensive): An eerie mystical haze rises to envelop the battlefield, reducing the effectiveness of enemy magical attacks. The Geomancer and all allies gain additional M.ARM equal to (Level x 3) until the end of combat. Poison Mist (Maelstrom): A massive cloud of evil, vile‐ smelling mist rises from the ground to choke out the air itself. To breathe is to suck venom into your lungs, but enemies are left with little choice. Poison Mist creates Difficult Terrain, automatically inflicting the Poison and Zombie statuses on all targets – enemies and allies alike – at the start of each of their turns while they remain in the area. TOWN UNDERGROUND Buildings and areas of habitation constructed by intelligent life. Because of its broad focus, this encompasses everything from ancient temples to bustling metropolitan areas, crumbling ruins and the wreckage of ancient civilizations. Plasma (Offensive): A cylinder of multicolored electricity rotates up from the ground, dealing (Highest Attribute x Half Level) + 2d6 points of Lightning damage to one enemy. If you possess the Lightning Strike property, Plasma deals an additional two steps of damage. Back Alley (Defensive): The Geomancer concentrates and moves walls and buildings, creating doorways where there was nothing before, and shifting the streets and passways around the party. They are instantly separated from their foes who vanish in the urban maze. This effect instantly removes the party from combat as per the white magic spell Escape. Imprison (Maelstrom): Walls of ivory and steel surround the Geomancer’s adversaries, crushing them. Imprison inflicts the Stop effect on all enemies with no opposed roll, and the Blue Mage makes an opposed Force check against each enemy. If they fail they are inflicted with the same effects as the Degenerator blue magic spell, causing them to lose 10% of their maximum HP whenever they attack and 10% of their maximum MP whenever they cast a spell. Covers subterranean areas both natural and artificial, including ‐‐ but not limited to ‐‐ caverns, tunnels, and underground complexes. These environments tend to see little sunlight, making them both cool and frequently damp. Snare (Offensive): The earth beneath the target’s feet becomes a whirling vortex, sucking it down several feet before re‐solidifying. Snare deals (Highest Attribute x Level) + 2d6 points of non‐elemental damage if successful, followed by an opposed Finesse check with the target to inflict them with the negative status effect Stop for one round. Earth Heal (Defensive): Several speckled mushrooms sprout and greenish‐brown dust swirls forth from nowhere before settling onto the party members, causing the Geomancer and all allies to immediately recover (Force x Level) + 2d6 hit points. Cave‐In (Maelstrom): With a roar and a rumble, the ceiling of the location begins to collapse, and huge boulders rain down from overhead. 1d6 boulders strike a single enemy target, each one dealing (RES x Level) + 2d6 points of Earth damage. Furthermore, the Elemental Field of the current combat then becomes Earth. All Earth‐based spells and attacks in the area – whether wielded by friend or foe – do an additional two steps of damage. 50 an take on asp pects of the envvironment to become undeteectable, malleaable, and nearlyy untouchable.. The You ca exact naturre of this abilitty varies depen nding on the geeomancer; Som me force their sskin to take on chameleon‐likke properties, some becomee millions of tin ny grains of san nd, other dissollve into snowfl flakes. More urrban geomanceers ge with stone w walls undergro ound or the briickwork of the city. have been known to merg hem a +3 bonus to As a Slow aaction the Geomancer can gaain the effects of the Invisiblee status. This sttatus grants th Stealth skill checks, their AVD score, and Escape skill cchecks to Run Away in combbat. This status effect is lost aas e Geomancer ttakes damage o or uses anothe er job ability. soon as the ou can hear sounds far beyonnd their normaal auditory rang ge, possesses By beiing ‘tuned in’ tto the world, yo perfect visiion even in pitcch blackness, a and boast a sen nse of smell thaat is preternatuurally potent. A A geomancer w with Heightened d Senses can peerform feats th hat border on p precognition o r magic, able tto tell an objecct’s size by the way the wind m moves around itt, or smell the M Malboro poiso on hidden in a ssignet ring from m across the ro oom. You gain a +2 bonus on A Awareness skill checks, and w whenever you sspend Destiny to add an additional dice to an Awarenesss skill roll, you ggain two bonus dice instead of one. Furtheermore, the chaaracter is immune to the neggative status effect Blind, and trreat Invisible enemies as thou ugh they didn’ t have any of tthe bonuses grranted by that status ugh the Geomancer’s sight iss gone, their otther senses moore than comp pensate for thiss loss. effect; thou This ability may be taken multiple timess, increasing th he bonus by +22 and the addittional dice by o one each time.. mes would addd 4d6 by spend ding one point of Destiny. Therefore, a character who has taken this ability 3 tim an run with thee speed of a ca actuar, soar with the grace off a roc, and burrow through tthe ground witth the You ca strength off the antlions. Choose one e benefit from the list below w. This ability m may be taken m multiple times tto grant all threee effects. Th he character m may now move a Medium Ran nge instead of a Short Range each round Th he characters ggains the effectts of Auto‐Fligh ht while consc ious. Th he character gaains the monstter ability ‘Submerge,’ allowi ng them to tun nnel beneath tthe earth with a Sttandard action. While burrow wed the Geomaancer is Immunne to any negaative or beneficcial Group‐targget atttacks or spells. They may retturn to the surfface as an Inst ant while burrrowed, and theey may move un nderneath ene emies to attackk them with staandard attacks s as normal. A ssuccessful knockback also forces th he Geomancer back to the surface and endss this effect. wind is always a at your back, ru ushing water sseems less turbbulent for you aand your allies,, and even the The w boughs in a a forest seem tto move on theeir own accord to cushion youur falls and givve your acrobattic stunts a leg g up. Simply havving the Augme ent job ability ggrants a +2 bon nus to all skill cchecks in a speecific skill for th he Geomancerr and his allies. TThe skill bonus depends on th he natural terraain around thee Geomancer. C Consult the listt below. Mountain ns: Climbing Undergrou und: Thievery Forest: Athlettics Swamp: Stealth Snow: A Awareness Plainss: Nature 51 LLava: Synthesis TTown: Vehicles Desert: Natture Water:: Swimming Cosmic: All LLore skills Geomancer is ca apable of enterring a dreamlikke state of trannquility where his spirit becomes one with tthe The G land itself, and he is conn nected to Creattion in a primal, utopic sensee. he Geomancerr has had a chaance to meditaate upon their surroundings aand After taking a Travel Restt in any area, th emporary ability to tell the p precise location n of every physsical object witthin a Long Ran nge of where tthe gains the te meditation n took place, from the tiniest pebble to the largest of ram mpaging monsteers. This grantss a constant +2 2 bonus on m most applicable e skill checks, ssuch as Stealth h, Nature, Clim bing, and Awaareness. Dreamstate e is often acco ompanied by od dd rituals such as tossing hanndfuls of soil and interpretingg meaning from m how it settles and lands. Some claim that this is to pro otect themselvves, for some eextremely pow werful magical iitems e that can actu ually inflict phyysical harm upo on the meditatting Geomanceer if and beingss have a dangerous resonance his spirit co omes into direcct contact with h it. haracter has fo ormed a specia al kinship with an aspect of thhe world, and tthey can displa ay their compleete The ch mastery ovver their chosen n element no m matter where tthey are. Choose one e of the follow wing ten types o of Terrain – Plaains, Forest, Deesert, Undergrround, Lava, To own, Mountain ns, Swamp, Sn now, or Water. The Geomanccer always has access to that terrain type w when using Geo otrance, in add dition to whateve er the current llocation provid des. metropolis the pulse of creatiion resonates, and you can hear its heartbeeat no matter w where Even iin the busiest m in the world you travel. Geotrance can now be ussed as a Standaard action instead of a Slow aaction. Furtherrmore, the gen ntlest touches of he Geomancerr when danger approaches, ggiving the character and theirr allies ample ttime displaced aair now warn th to prepare. This drastically reduces the risk of a Pre‐e emptive attack at the GM’s D Discretion. Geomancer can urge the natural flow of the elements into his weapon, aallowing it to ta ake on the The G properties of the surrounding area. emental Field aactive, the Geo omancer can addd the same [EElement] Strikee property to his Whenever there is an Ele d in the middlee of a weapon wiith an Instant aaction. For example, a Geomancer could ra ise his axe likee a lightningrod thundersto orm, infusing th his weapon witth the Lightnin ng Strike propeerty. This lasts until Skyforged d is used again n. You arre one with thee world, able to o hear the whiispers of the crrackling flamess and taste thee change of thee seasons carried on the four winds. Thou ugh the earth m may defend itsself against its enemies, it willl never harm yyou. er takes damagge or suffers an ny negative pe nalties from Difficult Terrain, nor can they The Geomaancer no longe drown while underwaterr. For example, they may wad de through lavaa without suffeering direct damage, or ignore the nous swamp. harmful gases in a poison 52 owerful natura al elements at a whim withouut restrictions –– you can crea ate a You ccan conjure forrth the most po hurricane o of flames in thee coldest tundrra, or freezing rrain in an endlless desert. By spendin ng three points of Destiny upo on using Geotrrance, the Geoomancer may cchoose any effeect from the lisst; including M Maelstrom abilities or effects from an entire ely different teerrain. Furthermore, a Geotrance used in th his manner cannot miss. Using Weight of the World can fforever alter thhe terrain of an area and creeate unusual orest to spring up at the botttom of the oceean or permaneently saturatin ng a landscape ffeatures, such as causing a fo bustling urban city with aa few meters o of desert sand. als are some off the best convversationalists you know; theey rarely argue,, lie, or make w wild claims to Anima impress you, and they’re always so fasccinated by everrything you haave to say. Andd when the natu ural order of th he been disrupted d, your former eenemies can prove themselvees as brave as any hero. world has b The Geomaancer can unde erstand and make himself un nderstood by aanimals. The crreatures respon nd with their o own postures an nd/or vocalizattions – though this doesn’t m make animals ssmarter, calm o or loyal, most rrecognize a Geomancer by this abilityy instantly and have enough respect that thhey’ll hear the character out before defaultting to aggression, panic, or in ndifference. M Most creatures ggenerally attem mpt to be help pful. er allows the G Geomancer to hold intense, interesting andd logical conversations with ccreatures norm mally Beastmaste lacking the e intelligence to o do so, or who o normally cou uld never posseess a language. In time, a Beaastmaster who o doesn’t oftten travel could d set up a netw work of scouts or animal alliees to ferry them m information.. urning even thhe most bloodtthirsty of foes iinto reluctant aallies Better yet, a character with this ability is capable of tu ower of persuaasion alone. Be eastmasters maay attempt to persuade defeeated foes to jo oin them for a time with the po – or at leasst coerce generral cooperation n – with a succcessful Negotiaation check or Nature check o of appropriate difficulty. O Only the naturaal denizens of tthe world can be tamed, resttricting the usaage of this ability to Aerial, A Aquan, Beast, and Insect‐categorry monsters. U Upon persuadin ng a monster too assist the party, the creatu ure has its n changed to Frriendly and the e Beastmaster may request t he monster figght on the partty’s behalf. A disposition monster taamed with Beastmaster retains the same atttacks, spells a nd abilities listted in their Besstiary entry, an nd will generally n not leave the Beastmaster un nless it is treate ed unkindly or reduced to such low health in combat thatt it needs to flee for survival. With a Standaard action once per round, thhe Beastmasteer may have th he monster usee any m its list, keeping the same acccuracy and daamage scores. single attacck or spell from Notorious Monsters and Bosses cannott be affected w with this ability,, and the Geom mancer may on nly have one enemy tamed at a time. fered by the eleements, your skkin taking on a a dusty hue and d You have shrouded yyourself in the protection offe harder than so olid darksteel. M More importan ntly, in times off dire need youu can take the fform of solid stone. becoming h The Geomaancer gains an additional point of both ARM M and M.ARM for every poin nt of RES or MN ND they possesss, whichever is higher. For e example, a Geo omancer with 8 MND, 12 RESS and +2 RES frrom his equipm ment would th hus bonus of 14 to ttheir ARM and d M.ARM score es. This bonus iis lost if the Geeomancer is utilizing a shield.. receive a b As a Slow aaction the charracter can auto omatically inflicct themselves w with the Petriffy status if theyy so choose. Th his status effect only wears o off when the G Geomancer cho ooses to end thhe effect insteaad of the norm mal duration. 53 MONK K モンク It takes som mething speciaal to be a Monkk. Anyone can n wield a weap pon, given enough time and p practice. Likew wise, academies with hundreds of students d dedicated to learning the art of e simply born w with their abiliities magic dot tthe landscape.. Some Jobs are and require e no effort. Others still are th he result of hap ppenstance orr some supernaturral entity looking out for their well‐being. A Monk is d different. Theyy are forged byy years of hard exercise and rigorous traaining. It is a lo ong and difficult path to be sure; the hermeetic lifestyle…w with its emphassis on simple livving and a regimen of demannding, repetitive labor…takes itss toll on the yo oung and impattient. The majoority be Monks breakk off their educcation with only a handful off kata of would‐b under theirr belts, culling the numbers o of this Job morre effectively thhan any foe cou uld hope to. e path, the rew wards are greatt. Monks are But to thosse who do not stray from the the masterr of the world'ss unarmed com mbat styles. Their discipline aand control over their m minds and spirrit is no less absolute than that over their bbodies. The Mo onk's hands and d feet are as dangerous a weapon as aany sword or spell, combiningg crippling barre‐handed blow ws, spectacularr energy attackks, o devastating effect. However, these talentss require the ttough, pugnacious Monk to remain and spiritual discipline to mbered, to the e extent of making armor moree of a hindrancce than a beneefit. An experieenced almost entirely unencum Monk thus learns to rely on their own aagility and fortitude more thaan any piece of protective geear. have studied lo ong to become a master marttial artist, and now You h you have no need to rely on man‐made weapons. Whether you figh t with a sophisticatted knowledge of pressure po oints or simply possess fists reminiscent of wrecking b balls, your unencumbered strrikes are skilledd and g attacks. The instant your ta arget’s guard ffalters, even foor an devastating instant, you u can take advvantage of the opening to finish the battle w with a powerful fiinal attack. HP Bonus: MP Bonus: ACC Bonus: AVD Bonus: Skill Points: 30 0 1 5 18 Weapons: Armor: Brawl, Reach None Upon gaining this Innate Ability, you alsso permanently gain access tto the uipment prope erty, causing yo ou to deal a minimum of Pugilist equ (PWR x Hallf Level) + 2d6 points of damaage with unarm med attacks annd improbable weapons. Thiss property rem mains even if you u were to changge Jobs. In add dition, you now w use a special mechanic calleed Chain Pointts. Each time the Monk hits a single target with a damaging attack theyy gain a Chain ppoint, up to a m maximum of fiive points; thesse owerful maneu uvers known ass a Chain Finishher, which all M Monks have acccess to and arre as points can be used for po follows; oint]: The Mon nk takes a mom ment to center himself. This iincreases the ccharacter’s ACC C and AVD scores by Boost [1 Po +1 for the rremainder of the encounter and takes an In nstant action. Mach Kick [2 Points]: The e Monk uses a series of powe erful kicking atttacks to strikee each present foe. As a Stand dard mal attack which targets the eentire enemy G Group. action, the character mayy make a norm Sovereign Fist [3 Points]: The Monk leaaps into the airr and brings hiss fist down harrd, crushing a ssingle enemy aand eir defense. As an Instant acttion, the monk may declare hhe’s using Soveereign Fist; afteer he does so, his ignores the 54 next attackk ignores ARM,, Protect and U Unusual Defensse, deals an ad ditional damagge step, and m may calculate damage wiith the Monk’s best attribute e. Exorcise [4 4 Points]: Afterr activating Exo orcise as a Slow w action, the m monk’s next succcessful attackk deals (MND xx Level) poin nts of Holy ARM M damage to any Undead or Fiend‐type eneemy. If Exorcise successfully deals damage,, it also permaanently remove es the target’s Undying abilitty, even if the ttarget was a Notorious Monsster or a Boss. Asuran Fistts [5 Points]: H Hands faster th han the eye can n see, the charracter brutalizees one enemy w with a series o of rapid‐fire sstrikes. By using Asuran Fists as a Standard action the Moonk may make tthree separatee attacks again nst a single targe et. Whenever o one of these atttacks is a critical hit, the Moonk may immediately make aanother, additional attack. Asu uran Fists can sstrike up to a m maximum total of six times. hings happens;; A Monk losses all their acccumulated Chaain Points whenever one of t he following th ‐ They m miss with an atttack. ‐ Their ttarget is reducced to 0 hit points ‐ Duringg their turn, th hey attack at le east one differe ent enemy (or ally!) than theey attacked on their previous turn. ‐ They u use a Chain Fin nisher. Chain Fiinishers never grant Chain Pooints under any circumstancee. ‐ They w wear armor of any sort. before slammin ng your hand in nto the groundd, releasing thee accumulated energies in a w wave You gather your Ki b at erupts in a sshower of rockss and debris up pon your enem mies. of force tha Shockwave e can either be used to damage one target up to a Mediu m range away, or the Monk can use the ab bility as a Local aattack to affectt all enemies, aallies and objeccts (excluding himself) within n a Short Range. Regardless o of how Shockkwave is aimed, the Monk maakes a normal aattack roll as aa Standard action – if successsful, the attackk deals (PWR x Levvel) + 2d6 points of Earth ARM M damage to e each target in tthe blast, and physical barrieers (such as thick steel walls)) cannot shelte er the Monk’s ttargets from th he blast. ] Legen nds speak of eld derly martial a artists ‐ sometiimes referred tto as White Moonks or Taoistss ‐ who possesss a sliver of un nderstanding ab bout the greatter workings off the cosmos. Itt is said that thhey have learned to strike at their opponent’ss Ki directly, weeakening a foee’s spirit instead d of their bodyy. This ability ggives credence to such storiess. A Monk with this ability m may choose to have his physical attacks deaal non‐elemen ntal magical damage instead of me, targeting th heir opponent’’s M.ARM scorre instead of th heir ARM. The ttype physical daamage if he wisshes at any tim of damage done must be e declared prior to making an n attack roll. It hap ppened so fast that a casual o observer mightt have mistakenn it for a clumssy, accidental ffumble; no onee but a fellow Mon nk could have ffollowed the qu uick pressure p point jab and thhe spin of the oogre’s arm. Its stone club tum mbles to the floorr with a heavy crash – and a ssecond later, itts owner does the same. Seeking serrenity and one eness with the cosmos instead of different methods to infflict violence, yyour knowledgge of internal me edicine allows you to overcome foes without fighting. Th is grants threee different bonuses. First, a m master of this style e may automattically use the Disarm combaat maneuver ass an Instant acttion wheneverr he Counteratttacks an opponent, in an attem mpt to separate e said opponen nt from their w weapons. In addition, the Mo onk gains the Slleep perty wheneve er he performs a Counterattack. And finallyy, you also gain n a +4 bonus to o your opposed d rolls Touch prop whenever yyou take the D Defend action in combat, until the start of yyour next turn.. 55 Monk fires a preecise beam of b blue‐white ligh ht from their paalms, cutting innto the target without fail. The M Aura Bolt iss a Slow action n, usable once per session, th hat automaticaally deals (MND D x Twice Level) + 2d6 points of M.ARM Ho oly damage to aa single target up to a Long R Range away. Auura Bolt grantss two Chain Po oints instead off just one. al trials to hone your body, b ut you don’t haave the scars tto prove it. You’vee undergone exxtreme physica The characcter gains an ad dditional +10 H Hit Points per LLevel. This abiliity may be takeen up to three times, increassing the value b by an additionaal +10 each tim me. ntly striking yo our opponent’s armor in preciisely its weakeest point, you ccan cause it to ssplinter By gen uncomforta ably and force your opponents to fight on eequal footing. As a Standaard action you may make a FForce or Finesse check againsst your opponeent’s Finesse ro oll; if successfu ul, a creature w who is wearing armor has the equipped arm mor destroyed, or a monster w who the GM deems is utilizin ng protective gear has their ARM and M.A ARM scores red duced to 0 untiil combat endss. ne of the most rrenowned abillities of the Moonk, you’re ablee to take a deeep breath and Having mastered on ur body of impurities and dam mage. cleanse you With an un ninterrupted Slow action once per combat, the character with this Job A Ability may purrge themselvess of all negative sttatus effects an nd regain 50% of their maxim mum HP and M MP. Chakra mayy be used regardless of any sttatus effects (exccluding Charm) that would ottherwise preve ent it, such as PPetrify, Seal an nd so on. arily thrown off ff‐balance – yo our cue to end tthis skirmish beefore your friends sustain an ny Your ffoe is momenta further inju uries. By puttin ng your all into a single, incredible strike, yoou can lay yourr opponents ou ut. By activatin ng Haymaker aas a Slow action once per session, the Mon k may make a normal attack action with a ‐6 penalty to ACC. If it connects, the blow deals (PWR x TTwice Level) + 2d6 points damage and causes the Stun an nd no roll to resistt. Haymaker caannot result in a critical hit. Seal status effects for one round with n onent strikes yo ou’re able to reeturn the favorr, punishing thhem with a seriies of devastatting Each ttime your oppo counterattacks and leavin ng them wide o open for poweerful Chain Finisshers. nter allows the e Monk to use tthe Counteratttack property oon Brawl weap pons one addittional time perr Cross‐Coun encounter.. This Job Abilitty may be take en multiple tim mes, increasing the number of times Counteerattack may b be used by on ne each time. 56 Your sspeed and vigo or never for a m moment leave yyou as you fluid idly weave in aand out of yourr enemies’ defeenses and leave b broken bones a as souvenirs. Critical Hitss now award 2 Chain points instead of just the standard 11, and a Monk who is wearin ng no armor is always treaated as though h he is dual wie elding, allowingg him to reroll one die duringg every attack roll. w level, able to o You have taken the ability to counterattack the sstrikes of your opponents to aan entirely new ast retribution eeven before they land. anticipate these moves and respond with lightning‐fa ounterattacking after damag e is calculated, the characterr may perform a After obtaining Hamedo, rather than co ounterattack ass soon as a foe e makes a mele ee attack againnst them, priorr to damage beeing determineed or physical Co accuracy being rolled. In addition, when never you perfform a Counte rattack you maay also make aan opposed Forrce or eck; a success ccauses your en nemy to suffer a Short Rangee knockback, geenerally causin ng your opponeent to Finesse che lose their aattack altogeth her as they go ttumbling from your surprise sidestep and rretaliation. and still as the M Monk draws ba ack their fist, aaccumulating ccosmic energy in the palm of f their The aiir seems to sta closed hand. When they a at last strike, itt is a single, deecisive blow thaat sunders the wall of ignorance and helps the porarily break ffree from the b bonds of huma an limitations. monk temp The Monk unlocks the following Chain Finisher. Final Heaven [5 Points]: Final Heaven iss a Slow attackk action that auutomatically deeals a critical h hit if strikes thee heir target. Furtthermore, simply using Final Heaven successfully helps u nlock a Monk’s true potentiaal, and all of th abilities gain additional p perks until the e end of each gaame session, att which point tthe bonuses arre lost until Final used again. Heaven is u Formless Strikes: The Monkk gains the effectts of Auto‐Hastee while he remaiins at 100% HP. Shockwave:: The Monk gains a +6 bonus on Force rolls when using Shockwaave to destroy oobjects. Shatter Arm mor: The Monk m may even break aarmor with the IIndestructible p roperty when ussing Shatter Arm mor. Haymaker: A A successful Hayymaker also causes the Speed Brreak condition, hhalving the targeet’s Finesse scorre, AVD and ACC C for 4 rounds. may continue to battle normallyy without suffering Unbreakable Form: Upon being reduced to 0 hit points or less, the Monk m wing turn. The M Monk may still bbe killed by bossees and notorious monsters while in unconscioussness until the end of their follow this state. Cross‐Countter: All counteraattacks deal an additional damagge step. Passive Fist:: Whenever the Monk is targete ed by an attack aat a Medium rannge or further, thhey may ‘catch’ the projectile orr spell and return itt back to the atttacker gracefullyy with an oppose ed Force or Finessse check. Such attacks keep thee same accuracyy and damage rolls, but are treate ed as targeting th he user of the atttack instead of the Monk. Chakra: Chaakra now affects all allies within a Short Range. Aura Bolt: U Using Aura Bolt iss now an Instantt action, and the e damage may bbe calculated witth the monk’s hiighest attribute instead of his MND score. Hundred Fissts: Critical Hits n now award 3 chaain points insteaad of 2. Hamedo: Th he Monk no longger needs to make opposed checcks in order to ccause a knockbacck through the u use of Hamedo. Final Heaven: The Monk maay spend one po oint of Destiny att the end of eachh game session to keep the bon nuses granted byy the use of Final Heaven, essentiially allowing him m to gain any of all of the benef its indefinitely. 57 NIINJA A トウ Underneatth a cover of all‐concealing bllackness, the Ninja comb bines the talents of infiltratorr, spy and assassin in one finely‐traiined body, ruth hlessly ne. independent by nature and owing alleggiance to no on early on in the virtues of silent Ninja are schooled from e action and caution, the art of killing from a distance aas d‐hearted well as a haair's breadth away. Their cold attitude an nd apathetic disregard for life e means a Ninja would happily commit de eeds most othe er warriors would predictable allies at best. balk at, maaking them unp They often wear masks in n order to keep p their true om their closest friends. The identity a ssecret even fro mask is the eir final resort ‐ they can alwaays remove it and simplyy disappear, becoming an 'ord dinary' person. Forever. Then again n, the Ninja’s m mask is just as o often the identtity they’ve creeated for them mselves, posing as a humble servant or just another faace in the crow wd. By cleverly positioning th emselves overr the course of f months and oment, they can evade suspiccion as easily a s their shadow wclad brethren n can evade preparing ffor a single mo detection. Either way, the e skills of the sshinobi can be summarized aas one of two things; deadly o or possibly deaadly. HP Bonuus: 14 never a fast and d inconspicuou us attack is neeeded, When MP Bonu us: 0 the Ninja's natural affinitty for throwing g weapons com mes to ACC Bon us: 1 the fore. AVD Bonnus: 7 ws the Ninja to o launch a singgle weapon or o object Throw allow Skill Poinnts: 22 with devastating force an nd accuracy at an opponent ‐‐ treat this as a no ormal attack acction that receives a +4 bonu us to ACC Weaponns: Blade, Co oncealed, Dual W Wield and may taarget enemies up to a Medium Range awayy. Use Armorr: Light, Meedium the thrown n weapon’s stats for calculating damage, no ot the weapon the ninja currenttly has equippe ed (unless, of ccourse, ne and the sam me). Damage iss always calculaated they are on using the N Ninja's DEX Attribute, even in n case of weapo ons whose dam mage normallyy defaults to PW WR, RES, or MN ND. For example, a ninja who o throws a Tier 4 Blade at the e foe would deaal (DEX x 4) + 22d6 points. be irretrievablyy lost This technique does come with a price, however; anyything used in cconjunction wiith Throw will b and destroyed for good. TThe only excep ption to this is items with thee Indestructiblee property, wh hich are still unavailable e until after the e battle is overr, at which point they can bee retrieved normally. A Ninja maay throw Impro obable Weapon ns as well, dealing standard ddamage with them based on what Tier theyy effectively act as – see p.151 for more o on this. As always, the GM iss encouraged tto rule that cerrtain Improbab ble would have add ditional special effects, and aa Ninja can onl y Throw what he can conceivvably lift with a Weapons w Force check. 58 all the (usually iillegal) ninja toools and know how to obtain n them through h a You arre well‐versed in the use of a network off underworld co ontacts. These methods havee been passed ddown from claan to clan for generations. Smoke Bom mbs and all of tthe ‘Black Marrket Goods’ listted in the equi pment chapter can be purch hased for 50% o of their normal price. The ninja may carry any number o of these items aat a time; theyy don’t count to oward the ms a characterr may have in h his inventory. maximum number of item a magic you creeate a trio of shadowy simulaacra to absorbb enemy attackks. They move a and Utilizing secret ninja act as you do, making it n nigh‐impossiblee to tell which silhouette is thhe dangerous oone. nstant action o once per game session, each of which grantts a bonus of +1 AVD Image creaates three self‐copies as an In to the Ninja while they arre active. Each time the Ninjaa is targeted byy a Single‐target attack, one of the copies his evasion bonnus accordinglyy. Each time th he Ninja is targgeted vanishes (aafter the attackk roll is made) and reduces th by a Group p or Local attacck, all of the co opies vanish insstead of just onne. ou are a terror.. Against manyy, you are untoouchable. Against one man, yo When fightting a Humano oid or a target tthat possesses the Swarm moonster trait, th he Ninja gains aa +1 bonus to ttheir AVD score and deals an aadditional damage step with all attacks to tthat target. If the target is bo oth a Humanoid d and ects stack, gran nting a +2 bonu us to AVD and a two damagee step increase. a Swarm, then these effe with various po oisons and nattural venom, annd your weapoons are all coatted with your You have practiced w otpourri blend o of toxic fluid. EEven the smalleest scratch cann leave a woundd that never seeems to heal. favorite po The characcter treats all non‐Improbable e Weapons the ey wield as thoough they posssessed the Spellburst: Virus property. A As always, this means that ass a standard action or on a crritical hit the niinja can cast th he Virus spell, w which negates all healing a foe could receive. n cast the Hex sspell as a Slow action with noo MP cost, allo owing them to debilitate the health In addition, the Ninja can oftening them up for a later aassassination oor even allowin ng them to pin the blame of d death of their tarrgets at‐will, so on natural illness. magical darknesss suddenly po ours into the weell‐lit room likee a viscous fluidd, extinguishin ng every sourcee of The m light as you u immerse yourself into the sea of shadowss. No trace of yyou remains; noot even the sou und of a footsttep. Sunken Staate is an Instant action usable e once per sesssion that grantts the Ninja thee Invisible statu us, which is losst as soon as the e Ninja takes damage or activvates another jjob ability. Inv isibility grants the Ninja a +3 3 bonus to Steaalth skill checkss, their AVD sco ore, and attem mpts to Run Aw way in combat. Although SSunken State m may only be use ed when the Ninja is under thhe cover of darkness, simply having this Job Ability also o grants the Nin nja the ability tto cast the Twiilight spell as aa Slow action w with no MP cosst. 59 battles are besst enjoyed as loong, drawn‐ouut affairs, you in nstead seek to o Whilee many warriorrs believe that b perfect thee art of the sing gle strike ‐ endiing combat with one precise cut before youur enemy can rreact or respon nd. All attacks made by the ccharacter durin ng a pre‐emptivve round of coombat result in a critical hit on an accuracy roll of dard 12. This caannot be comb bined with otheer effects that increase a chaaracter’s criticaal hit 8‐12 insteaad of the stand range, such h as the Lucky weapon prope erty. a simple two‐fi fingered gesturre, you strip your foe of his m magical protecttions. With a As an Instant action once e per game session, you may cast Dispel as for no associatted MP cost. TThis targets a siingle enemy at u up to a medium m range away aand, with a succcessful opposeed roll, removees all positive sstatus effects tthey currently p possess. ws you to halt yyour opponentss’ attempts to fflee by anchorring their shadows to the gro ound, This ninja trick allow ensuring th hey stay preciseely where you want them. Whenever you successfully damage a fo oe who is a Me edium Range aaway or further, you may cho oose to deal haalf e an opposed FFinesse check. If you succeed , the target is aautomatically inflicted with tthe damage in order to make op, lasting until the beginningg of your next tturn. negative sttatus effect Sto an how to dodg ge a blade andd hide betweenn raindrops; you know the seccrets Yourr master taught you more tha of the five p primal fundam ments that com mpose the world d, and how to uuse your Ki to sstrike at these five points on an enemy and d leave him help pless. Only tho ose who master the Ki of Fivee‐Movements ccan master thee way of the Nin nja. Whenever you deal any ttype of elemen ntal damage wiith a thrown w weapon, or Shaadow damage ffrom a melee aattack, hoose one effe ect from the list below to actiivate as an Insttant action. Alll additional damage dealt byy you may ch Ninjutsu ignores the effects of ARM and d M.ARM. moving too quickkly renders him m momentarily sightless. Wood Veil: A simple motioon makes it difficcult for the targeet to see, and m The next tim me the target maakes a physical attack, they suffe er (MND x Level)) points of damaage after the attack resolves and d are inflicted with the negative sstatus effect Blin nd until the end o of their next turrn. Fire Veil: You pluck at theirr heart, strippingg away the fiery passion neededd to work magic.. The next time tthe target succeessfully casts a spell, they take (MND x Level) pointss of Fire damage e and are inflicteed with the effeccts of Seal until tthe end of their next turn. Earth Veil: After your attacck, your victim fiinds himself sudddenly exhaustedd. The next timee the target movves from his currrent location, the ey suffer (MND xx Level) points o of Earth damage (even if they aree normally immuune) and are infflicted with the negative staatus effect Slow until the end of their next turn. Metal Veil: By striking your opponent’s veery soul, you punncture their spiriit and cause their own Ki essencce to drift free; aa deeply unse ettling feeling forr anyone. The ne ext time the targget expends Desstiny, they sufferr (MND x Level) points of nonelementtal damage and aare inflicted with the negative status effect Conf nfuse until the ennd of their next turn. Water Veill: The liquid in yoour target’s boddy becomes as coold as death, thee chill remindingg him of the inevvitable, inescapaable end to this b battle. The next time the target recovers health,, they suffer (MN ND x Level) poinnts of Water dam mage and are infflicted with the neggative status effe ect Zombie untill the end of their next turn. 60 me to shout ou ut a warning, your foe’s gasp becomes nothhing more than n a gurgle. Before you have tim he damage deaalt by Executio on is impossiblee to trace backk to Though it ttakes a Standarrd action to use in combat, th the Ninja – – they seem to do nothing. Pe erhaps this attaack takes the fform of a poiso on discreetly placed in your opponent’ss drink hours aago and just no ow taking effecct to cause cripppling pain, or perhaps it wass nothing moree than a shocked ggesture….whicch signals an un nseen conspiraator to fire a crrossbow bolt frrom a nearby rrooftop. In thiss way, the Ninja m may continue to seem like an ally or bystander even as th eir murderouss plan unfolds. Execution rrequires an atttack roll as norrmal and no we eapon propert ies (such as [Ellement] Strike or Lucky) apply; it deals (AVD D Score x Level)) + 2d6 points o of ARM damagge, and the targget then sufferrs a penalty to their ARM and d M.ARM sco ores equal to the Ninja’s MND attribute unttil combat endds. This effect is cumulative; aan enemy who o has been struck by Execution n three times w would have a pe enalty to their r armor values equal to triplee the Ninja’s MND score. D, any temporrary effects thaat would increaase mage is calculatted by using yo our current AVD Because Exxecution’s dam your Avoidance (such as being Invisible or under the e effects of Imagge) also improvve this limit ability. que cannot sayy for certain whhat it looks likee ‐ they are all dead. The secrret is, Thosse who have seeen this techniq in fact, tha at Army of One rarely manifessts the same w way twice. The mystically‐minnded ninja splitts his body into o two identical veersions and battles alongsidee a shadowy do ouble. The clann leader needs only make thee slightest sign to call for backup,, and dozens off lesser shinob bi appear in thee rafters to joinn him. Some claaim that the N Ninja simply mo oves with such sspeed and soun ndlessness that it is believed that no single person could eever kill so man ny so quickly, a and that there must be some other explanation. Others cla aim that seein g double is som me sort of poisson‐induced on. Some partiies have even b been surprised to discover thaat the characteer they though ht was their hallucinatio companion n all along was,, in fact, simplyy a well‐disguissed decoy…as the REAL Ninjaa appears to heelp. Whatever tthe method, A Army of One allows the Ninja to effectively ffunction like tw wo characters for the remain nder of battle. B By spending thrree points of D Destiny and an Instant action to activate thiis Limit Ability,, they gain an additional Standard actio on each round, which deals half damage an d is incapable of limit breakss. Furthermoree, the may perform TTeamwork Attaacks essentiallyy with themselvves, treating th his additional sstandard action as if character m it was anotther player making an attack roll. The charaacter may alwaays take this Sttandard action each round, eeven if they are affflicted with a n negative statuss effect that would prevent tthem from doin ng so. Because Arrmy of One allo ows the characcter to function n like multiple individuals, th he ninja may peerform actionss in two entirelly different plaaces at once ‐ ssuch as engagin ng in an epic b attle inside an imperial airsh hip while also disarming ((or planting) a bomb in the city square mile es below. Army of On ne lasts until th he end of comb bat, or until the Ninja is reduuced to 0 hit po oints. haracter moves so gracefullyy that even mag gic has difficultty scorching heer skin, much leess slow her do own. The ch Whenever any spell would affect the Ninja, the Ninja may choose too make an opp posed Finesse rroll against thee he Ninja wins they are immun ne to the effeccts and damagee the spell wou uld cause, thou ugh this doesn’t caster. If th protect the e character’s allies from the sspell. A Boss orr Notorious Moonster may exp pend one poin nt of Destiny to o negate thiss benefit for on ne round. 61 PAL LADIIN おとこだて The Paladin n is a sacred kn night, followingg in the footste eps of the infinnite mercy and justice e of creation, th he powers of H Holy. They are cchosen by the light they follow, nott the other wayy around. Altho ough there are e many who haave one or several of tthe qualities th hat make a Palaadin, only thosse who are tru ly the epitome off purity are so blessed to beccome one of th hese famed knights. You fight for higgher causes an nd better days;; truth guides yyour sword andd chivalry your every action, and th he Holy energy that flows thro ough your bladde and body o create a brighter tomorrow w. is certain to Paladins arre symbols of h honor and nobility and are welcomed wherrever they go, usually clad d in shining heavy armor and d carrying a gre eat shield. Theyy are capable of shieldingg another party member from m danger and ccan channel thhe rarest and most sacre ed type of magic in combat, m making them awesome warri ors indeed. 22 HP Bonus: Levels Obtaiined Spell Rank You arre a living bulw wark, protectin ng the 2 Novice 1, 2, 3, 44 MP Bonus: vulnerable and acting as their shelter in n the 1 5, 6, 7 Intermediate ACC Bonus: attle. The well‐‐being of otherrs is storm of ba 5 8, 10 AVD Bonus:: Expert paramountt, and you wou uld sacrifice you urself in a Skill Points: 12, 14 20 Superior moment if another’s life w was at stake. 15 (Holy on nly) Ancient n chooses an aally to be coverred as an The Paladin Instant action; Until the P Paladin choose es a new Weapons: Arcane, Blaade, Reach watchful eye on n this ally target, theyy will keep a w Armor: Light, Mediium, Heavy, Shieelds and guard them from inju ury. Magic Schoool: White uffer Whenever the Covered taarget would su he Paladin mayy leap in front o of that damage, th character aas an Instant acction and choo ose to take that damage on t he ally’s behalf. This means tthat the damagge is still reduce ed by the origin nal target’s ARM and M.ARM M scores and otther effects, an nd not the Palaadin’s. Cover can o only be used iff the Paladin is not afflicted w with an effect oor status that w would preventt them from reaching th heir target or taking an imme ediate Instant aaction (such ass Stop, Slow, Seeal or Charm, aamong others), and the ally mu ust be within a Medium Rangge and not obsttructed by obsstacles that wo ould prevent th he Paladin from m reaching th hem (such as b being in anothe er section of the castle or anoother dimensio on). Finally, thee Paladin may only Cover one ally at any time. will combat evill even to the en nds of the earth h and are a sym mbol of hope ffor your comra ades. If fear and d You w trickery aree the only toolss your enemiess wield, then th hey will fight yoou unarmed. The Paladin n, all allies and d friendly targe ets are Immune e to Fear, Berseerk, and Charm m (if they so ch hoose to be) wh hen they are within a Medium m Range of you u. Former foes who have beeen Charmed to fight on your party’s side are d by Leadership p. unaffected 62 whisper a singlle, solemn worrd that resonattes with convic tion, sheathingg one ally in th he golden light of a Your w magical shield. n Astra shield is an Instant acction usable on nce per game s ession, and it aappears as a faaintly‐shimmerring Forming an glow that ssurrounds the ttarget. The tarrget of Astra ne egates all effeccts and damagee from the nexxt attack they receive, at which point th he benefit of A Astra is lost. Thiis ability cannoot be used on tthe Paladin, no or can more than one ally have the benefits of this abilityy at any given ttime. Howeverr, Astra can be used even when it is not thee urn. Paladin’s tu art, chivalrous and steadfast, t, the Paladin ccan amplify thee raw force of aan opponent’s spell and causse it to Stalwa harm him eexclusively insttead of allowin ng more vulnera able allies to s uffer the bruntt of the damag ge. By declarin ng they’re usingg Sentinel an In nstant action o on an enemy’s turn, the Paladin may transfform any Group‐ target spell or Limit Break into a Single‐‐target spell orr break that is rredirected to sstrike him alone. Spells and liimit % standard dam mage instead oof the normal vvalue, and if th he Paladin would be breaks redirected in this way deal 200% n‐elemental daamage Immune orr Absorbent to the elemental type of damage dealt, the ddamage is convverted into non instead. ht seems to surround you as you drop into aa guarded stannce, bracing yo ourself. The mo oment A heavenly pearl ligh plode in a blind ding, radiant aaura. Evil creattures hiss and rrecoil, shielding g their your enemies approach yyou seem to exp grates in the asstral glow. eyes as theeir skin disinteg The Paladin n may declare he’s activatingg Shield of Ligh ht as an Instantt action once p per combat. Un ntil the start off the Paladin’s next turn when Shield of Lightt wears off, the e character is ttreated as having the Indestrructible properrty on mor he’s currently wearing, caannot be affectted by Knockbaack effects, an nd cannot lose a spell he was in the all the Arm middle of ccasting due to a teamwork atttack, critical hit or limit breaak. If any enem my would make e a physical atttack against the Paladin or thhe Paladin’s Co overed target b before the starrt of the charactter’s next turn, the Paladin can retaliate with an abrupt bblast of holy en nergy. The attaacking enemy immediately suffers (RES x Armor Tier) + 2d6 points o of Holy M.ARM M damage and aare inflicted with the negativve status effect Blind with no resist roll, evven if they’d no ormally be imm mune to its efffects. This dam mage and blind effect oon as the mon nster’s attack iss declared, and d before accur acy is rolled. occur as so and as long as yyou can fight. Fight as long as you can stand. Sta 5% or fewer HP P he receives 2 200% healing frrom all White Magic spells, jo ob abilities, iteems When the Paladin is at 25 on properties, e excluding HP D Drain, Regen, and its superiorr version, Auraa. In addition, tthe Paladin maay and weapo choose to d deal damage as though their weapon posse essed the Holyy Strike propertty when he fights at 25% of h his maximum hit points or le ess. 63 gthened with tthe belief that tthe best defensse is a good off ffense, your weeapon burns w with a celestial Streng intensity. A As you deftly sla ash at an enem my, the air arou und the two off you erupts wiith light and seears your foe w with righteous w wrath. It will fa ace you, or fall.. This is an aattack with man ny names, rangging from Nortthswain’s Glow w to somethingg as simple as ‘‘Split Punch’ orr ‘Crush Punch’ by non‐Paladins who’ve sseen it in actio on. Ultimately, most refer to it by the namee of the man w who o have created it. was said to Whatever tthe name, this attack is a Staandard action tthat targets a ssingle enemy, u usable once peer session. Makke a standard w weapon attack; if the strike is successful, it d deals (PWR x TTwice Level) + 22d6 points of H Holy M.ARM damage to the target and d surrounds bo oth of you with h white fire. If tthe enemy attaacks on its nexxt turn and doeesn’t u as a target, yyou regain the use of Orlande eau’s Strike. include you n an ally is wou unded or an undead abomina ation bears dow wn upon the innocent, there’ss no time for th he When complex invocations of a spell. By using g your own life force as the soource for your magic, you’re able to cast su udden and impulssive spells to prrotect your frieends. When casting a beneficiaal spell on yourr turn, you mayy choose to saccrifice 25% of yyour maximum m HP in order to o turn nto a Standard action instead of a Slow action. The spell hhas no effect on the Paladin aand must targeet one the spell in or more orr allies instead, and you may take no other actions on youur turn after th he spell resolvees. unwavering ressolve helps you u withstand thee tests to comee. Your u The Paladin n receives a +2 2 bonus to opposed rolls to re esist the effectts of negative sstatus effects. This ability maay be taken multtiple times, increasing the bonus by +2 each h time. using your will allows you to create an incorrporeal weapoon, which seem ms to be made o of noting but ssilvery‐ Focu blue strand ds of light. It cu uts a blazing pa ath through yo our enemies as you focus on cchanneling pro otective magic.. Although creating a spiritt weapon takess a Standard acction, the resuulting conjuration lasts until ccombat ends. When the sspirit weapon is first summoned it Instantlyy lashes out at one enemy off the paladin’s choice. The sp pirit weapon wiill thereafter atttack wheneve er the Paladin ssuccessfully ca sts a spell thatt deals no dam mage. The palad din must make e a standard attack roll; if it h hits, the spirit w weapon deals ((MND x Half Leevel) + 2d6 points of nonelem mental M.ARM damage to one fo oe. m teamwork atttacks, and isn’’t improved byy the Although the phantasmal weapon can’tt deal a criticall hit or perform perties or job aabilities, the sp pirit weapon haas the Indestruuctible and MP P Refresh propeerties; Paladin’s equipment prop dealt is returne ed to the palad din in the form m of MP. half of the final damage d aladin raises his blade to the sky, parting th he clouds and eencasing the pparty in a beam m of divine lightt. The Pa By activatin ng Holy Circle aas a slow action, the Paladin and his allies ggain the Undeaad Killer property on any weaapon they wield until combat e ends. A Paladin n’s Spirit Weap pon gains this pproperty as weell, if applicablee. 64 none is as simp ple, and flawlesss, and all‐enccompassing as this. Of all the powers in all the world, n ng 3 or more po oints of Destiny as a Standard d action, a Palaadin may beco ome invincible, negating all By spendin damage an nd effects that he would rece eive from all atttacks. The effeects of this ability last for a nu umber of roun nds equal to th he number of D Destiny expend ded in its usage e. In addition, aall damage deaalt from the Paaladin is treated as Holy M.ARM damage for the duration o of Invincible. A All damage takeen from effectss such as Cover is also nullifieed Paladin is Invincible. while the P When Invin ncible is activatted, the Paladiin is immediate ely cleansed off all negative status effects. H He may use Invincible e even if a statuss effect would normally preve ent him from ttaking any actions. g left in your fin ngertips at all. They appear tto have been turned to stonee from the There was no feeling Adamantoiise’s breath, in n fact, as it tried d to use its qua artz‐like jaws tto rip your shieeld away. Your only weapon llies a few feet to o your right, bu ut it wouldn’t do you any good d with this brooken arm anyw way. Each time tthe primeval to ortoise smashees you and your friend into thhe cave wall at t your back, tw wo things happeen; he lets out a w whimper and m mutters someth hing about bein ng a better perrson, and your shield resonattes with a flash h of angelic ligh ht. You want to o tell him not to o worry, but th he sound of youur voice is drow wned out in the rumbling. After all, yo ou’re a Paladin n. You could do o this all day. As soon as the Paladin su uffers damage ‐‐ or a negative e status effect ‐‐ caused by anyy foe, the Paladin and one neearby ally of his cchoice recover hit points equal to (Paladin’ss MND x Half LLevel) as a Regeeneration effect. This healingg is instantaneous and interrupts the enem my’s turn, thouggh does not occcur if the Paladin is reduced to 0 hit pointss by oss can even occcur when the Paladin is affliicted by a statu us ailment thatt the attack. The healing frrom Saint’s Cro mally prevent iits use, such ass Stun or Seal. Saint’s Cross ccannot occur m multiple times o on the same atttack; would norm for example, if an enemyy caused both d damage and a negative statu s effect with aa single move, tthe Paladin wo ould ecover health o once. still only re aise your weap pon high and alllow it to accum mulate holy ennergy from the distant reachees of the cosmo os; You ra the size of the weapon seeems to grow a and it becomess almost imposssible to look diirectly at the b blade. Then, wiith a h foe, sending tthem back to thhe abyss wherre they belong a and clash of steeel you bring itt to bear againsst one fiendish filling your veins with thee power of the light. owerful blow that requires a Slow action too use and may only be activatted once per Climhazzarrd is a single po session. Ho owever, whene ever the Paladiin suffers a crittical hit, they rregain the use of Climhazzard d. Climhazzarrd automatically deals ((PWR + RES) x Weap pon Tier) + 2d66 Holy ARM daamage and cannot miss or bee a critical hit. After Climhazzzard is used, th he Paladin’s total ARM and M M.ARM scores aare doubled un ntil the start off their next turn. 65 RANGE ER かりうど か Rangers are also known aas Hunters or SSnipers – or, de epending on if they utilize e modern weap ponry, Gunners or Fusiliers – and they specialize in fighting with h ranged weapo ons. These pattient and eir art through skill and a few w subtle (and precise warriors hone the en protective o of their homes, Rangers oftenn not‐so‐subtle) tricks. Ofte prefer either the wilderness or a heavily urban settingg. They use onment to their advantage to o overcome much more their enviro dangerous foes. n hand, these e ever‐vigilant ad dventurers cann With a rangged weapon in make accurate attacks th hat other Jobs ccan only dream m of, cripple pecific parts of their bodies, aand utilize enemies byy aiming for sp other practtical abilities th hat make them m invaluable to any party. HP Bonuus: 16 distance, a Whilee normally mosst comfortable ffighting at a d MP Bonuus: 0 Ranger who is forced into o melee with en nemies is hard dly ACC Bonus: 2 defenselesss. While being able to dodge a blow or divee out of the AVD Bonnus: 6 way of inco oming fire is a handy trait forr any characterr to have, Skill Poinnts: 20 Rangers ha ave taken this o outlook to an eextreme; relyin ng on instinct and d reflex, they a are so adept att dodging attaccks that foes Weaponns: Concealed, Ranged are just as likely to hit each other as theey are the Rang ger. Armorr: Light, Meedium ue to Whenever an adversary’ss attack missess the Ranger du may choose to h have the attackk Avoidance,, the Ranger m successfully strike a second enemy with hin a Short Ran nge instead. Reeversal therefo ore makes Rangers extremelyy nsters at once, as they turn thheir foe’s own imprecise attaacks back at eaach adept at haandling entire ggroups of mon other. The ru udimentary com mbat style of yyour enemies iss easy to analyyze, giving you ample time to o shout to your friends and d warn them w when to dodge p predictable cou unterattacks oor clumsy magiical onslaughtss. Use Advice e as a Standard d action once p per round by ro olling your Loree (Monsters) or Nature skill aagainst one eneemy target of yo our choice, opposed by theirr Finesse. If you u win the roll, yyou and your aallies learn the complete list of the combat abilities the monster possessess, such as Call ffor Help or Ma gical Counteraattack. Choose one of these; the oses access to tthat combat ab bility until the ffight ends. monster lo When Adviice is used in th he pre‐emptive e round of com mbat it is treateed as an Instan nt action insteaad, though still only usable once per round, and gains a +4 b bonus to the opposed roll. 66 n your environm ment that you’’re able to delivver precise shoots without beiing detected, a and You’ree so at home in prefer to overcome your eenemies through the elemen nt of surprise. ditional damagge step with alll physical attaccks in the pre‐eemptive round d of The Ranger and all his allies deal an add n attack that normally deals ((DEX x 1) pointts of damage n now deals (DEX X x 2) instead. combat – ffor example, an In addition, by spending o one point of Destiny, you maay add a bonuss equal to half of your Naturee skill as a bonu us to u and each of yyour allies thiss game session. the next Sttealth skill checck made by you rfect time to sttrike, and you aare able to tracck your target The viirtue of patiencce helps you piinpoint the perf perfectly an nd land your sh hots even in sittuations wheree success seem ms impossible. Aim is a Slo ow action that allows the Ran nger to make aa standard attaack with a +4 b bonus to the atttack roll. This ability can also be ussed outside of combat for graanting a +4 bonnus to any skill that might invvolve a precisee or ed shot, such ass firing a grapp pling gun up a ccastle wall to aaid in a Stealthh or Escape cheeck. silent aime You fire a well‐placeed, crippling shot that hampeers your foe’s fiighting ability. Choose one of four bonuses listed Once per combat you maay declare thatt your next attaack will be a Diisabling Shot. C he attack is succcessful, your ttarget(s) sufferr whatever addditional penaltyy was selected d. Obviously, so ome below; if th creatures w will be unaffectted by aspectss of this ability… ….take size, lacck (or excess!) of appendagess, and similar considerations into accou unt. m one carried oor held item, cchosen by the R Ranger. This co ould Disarming Shot: The targget drops or is sseparated from on or shield, orr an item such as a delicate p parchment mapp or set of diam mond earrings. Regardless off the by a weapo Ranger’s ch hoice, this generally acts as aa Disarm action n with no oppoosed roll. Leg Shot: TThe target cann not escape from combat with h spells or abiliities, nor can they attempt to o Run Away. Vital Shot: The enemy su uffers a ‐2 penaalty to their AC CC or AVD scoree (Ranger’s choice) until the end of combat. hit rate is improved by 2 for tthis shot, whic h generally allo ows you to roll critical hits on n a Head Shot: Your critical h dard 12. Head Shot may onlyy be used in co onjunction with h a Ranged weaapon. dice result of 10‐12 instead of the stand oose a powerfu ul missile attack that sends a foe hurtling baackwards, pinnning them to a wall or the gro ound. You lo After usingg Sidewinder ass an Instant acttion, the Range er’s next attac k suffers a ‐4 p penalty to the A ACC roll, but iff successful, deals one add ditional damage step, causes a Short Rangee knockback an nd inflicts Stop for one round, even et would normaally be immune e to the knockback or the efffects of Stop. TThe Ranger maay also be affeccted if the targe by a Short Range knockbaack if they so cchoose. used once per ccombat in conjjunction with aan attack from m a Ranged weaapon. This ability may only be u of targets on a a foe’s body, bu ut several of thhem are more aappealing than n others. There are a myriad o n he wields. The Ranger is treated as aalways having the Blind Toucch properties oon any weapon 67 or bullets, thosse who do are aalways ready w with ammo for r any occasion. By Whilee not all Rangerrs use arrows o quickly dra awing differentt types of arrow ws from their q quiver, reloadinng a pistol withh elementally‐a aligned shells, magically a altering the pro operties of their floating surffboard or whattever, the charracter is able to o constantly exxploit the weakneesses of his eneemies. After quickkly producing aa special type o of ammunition as a Standard action, the Raanger may add any one of thee following w weapon properrties to his nexxt two ranged aattacks; Fire Str trike, Earth Striike, Water Strikke, Wind Strikee, Lightning SStrike, or Ice Strike. anger notches half a dozen a arrows onto theeir bowstring oor unloads a cliipful of bullets,, punching holles in The Ra every enem my in a 360 deg gree radius. By declarin ng the use of Baarrage as an in nstant action, tthe next attackk the Ranger m makes targets th he entire enem my Group. Thiss ability may be used once pe er session. aron’s guards d didn’t have tim me to react beffore you drew yyour pistol, butt they were not your targets – The ba instead, ea ach lantern they carry seems to shatter simu ultaneously, pllunging the alleeyway into com mplete darknesss. By declarin ng his next attaack will be a Triick Shot as an instant action and taking a ppenalty to theirr attack roll, the Ranger is capable of ‘ban nking’ an attackk made with an n Arcane or Ra nged weapon off of up to multiple differen nt surfaces be efore it reaches its target. For each surface or item Rangeer wishes to bo ounce a shot frrom, they suffeer a ‐2 penalty to their ACC roll. This might allo ow a Ranger to o bank a shot ooff three walls and hit a targeet they couldn’’t ACC penalty, orr simply make Force checks tto destroy objeects within range possibly drraw a straight line to at a ‐6 A before the shot strikes itss intended targget – such as light sources orr the thin chain n keeping a cryystal chandelier he target, thenn Trick Shot haas no effect wh hatsoever and iis dangling from the roof. Iff the attack roll would miss th nger fired at. treated as missing every object the Ran ned This ability may not be ussed in conjuncttion with attaccks that never miss, such as SSharpshot, but can be combin er multiple foes at once. with Disabling Shot to dissarm or hampe ugh you’re hap ppy enough witth a rock for a pillow and thee stars for a blaanket, some off your more hig gh‐ Althou maintenan nce allies aren’tt nearly as com mfortable in thee great outdooors as you are, and have the b bad habit of forgetting to feed themseelves or getting g chewed on byy angry predattors. To save yoourself the hea adaches you do o ural more than just lead your helpless party through the untamed wilds;; you constantlly keep an eye out for all‐natu wild game, and d sheltered pla aces to set up ccamp. remedies, w The first tim me you successfully make a N Nature skill che eck to help youu and your alliees overcome a hostile environme ent, you may also add one of the following iitems to your iinventory. Thee item vanishess at the end of the game session if it wasn’t used and has n no market valu ue. with a tier no grreater than hallf your level A single Food‐caategory item w Exxotic medicinall fauna with the same effect as a ‘Phoenix Down’ item En nough suppliess to construct aa rudimentary campsite, grannting the beneefit of a ‘Tent’ item 68 of ranged comb bat, capable off performing feeats beyond coomprehension. With a single arrow You arre a paragon o you could p pluck an apple from a tree ten miles away, or tie a messagge to the shaftt and have it im mbed itself in the wall next to o its intended rrecipient insidee a fortress witth only one winndow. You could make a bulleet follow the curvature o of the entire pllanet in order tto strike a nearrby adversary iin the back. These exploits wiill live on in leg gends and storiess for centuries, immortalizing g you as one of f the greatest m marksmen to ever exist. By expendiing two points of Destiny the e Ranger’s nextt attack – if thee goal is to strike a target and d not simply seend a message – deals (DEX x TTwice Level) + 2 2d6 points of d damage which ignores ARM, cannot miss, ccannot be stopped ects of the Barrrier or Wall spe ells, and canno ot result in a criitical hit or lim mit break. If useed with a Rangeed by the effe weapon, Sh harpshot can sstrike a target aat any distance e even if it is a beyond conceeivable firing raange. As long as the character is not restricted d by walls or other barricade es, they can shooot anything, aanywhere. with the singulaar exception off the Paladin’s ‘Invincible’. Sharpshot cannot be neggated by other Job Abilities w mbined with the Ranger abilitties Barrage orr Trick Shot, an nd cannot be m made to target Sharpshot cannot be com nemies under aany circumstan nces. multiple en mid‐flight, splittting into multipple projectiles to lay low yourr enemies. Your rranged attackss separate in m Activating X X‐Attack is a Sllow action usable once per se ession. After ddoing so, the Raanger’s next th hree normal atttack actions are e treated as Insstant actions in nstead and calcculate damagee with DEX instead of their no ormal attributee, but cannot cau use critical hits and suffer a ‐2 2 penalty to AC CC. If the Rangeer misses an atttack, the effects of X‐Attackk immediately end. You find the greatesst challenge in pitting your skkill against the intelligent preedators spoken of in local folkklore, ng to monsters that lesser huntters fear to seeek out. Dragons and abnormaal, one‐of‐a‐kinnd beasts are ffar more stirrin d creatures, an nd you are paid d well by certaiin organizationns for these da angerous troph hies. your taste than woodland Monster] Killerr Upon gaining this ability or gaining a levvel, the Ranger’s weapons arre all treated aas having the [M ng them to deaal double the nnormal amount of damage to o any single typ pe of property of the Ranger’s choice, allowin er gains a level,, they may change the type oof [Monster] Kiiller property. FFor example, u upon foe. Each time the Range hoose Aerial Killer. On her neext level‐up, sh he might choosse to change th he gaining thiss ability, the Raanger might ch bonus gran nted by Hunt to o Dragon Killerr instead. Furthermore, whenever tthe character kkills a Notoriou us Monster or Boss of the sam me species thaat their Hunt Killer weapon property is attuned to, they may turn in prroof of the creaature’s demisee at any major city or [Monster] K trade hub tto gain bonus ggil. This gil is based off the level of the defeeated enemy; cconsult the chaart below. Monster Levvel Additional Gil 1 40 2 80 3 180 4 400 5 800 6 1,500 7 3,000 8 5,500 Monsster Level Add ditional Gil 9 10,000 1 10 18,000 1 11 32,000 3 12 56,000 5 13 100,000 1 14 170,000 1 15 300,000 3 69 RED R MA AGE 赤魔道士 赤 The Red Mage is the classsic jack of all trrades, a professsion whose versatility sstands in stark contrast to the regimented, often restrictiive training of other Mage Jo obs. Indeed, rather than keep ping their ons confined to o a single schoo ol of magic, these versatile examinatio spellcasters satisfy curiossity (and often,, boredom) by dabbling in a llittle bit of everyything. Still, as the e manifesto goe es, they are the jack‐of‐all‐traades ‐ but massters of none. Th heir versatility comes at the ccost of power; but power is rarely the ffinal goal of a R Red Mage, as m most prefer to dedicate theirr lives to the e constant purssuit of the unacchievable – and doing so witth style. Afterr all, White and d Black are not ‘destruction’ aand ‘harmony..’ They're nott even diametrrically opposed d. True mages know how to ggrab the reigns o of both, insteaad of being too o afraid to combine the awesoome offensive p power of Black Magic with the healing and ssupport of Whhite Magic. pirits, Red Magges tend to dre ess elegantly a nd The quintessential free sp ucklers as a flamboyantly, using the rromantic idealism of swashbu er into their ch hoice of arms; tthey are template. TThis carries ove particularlyy adept with blladed weaponss, preferring to o fight with rappiers sabers, and d other weapons that allow tthem to take fu ull advantage oof the additionnal mobility affo orded by theirr light armor. Tho ough other spe ellcasters may ffind Red Mages a little too fliighty for their liking, there is no denying th hat their palettte of abilities iss a potent one. HP Bonus: You ca all yourself exp perienced and w worldly, a MP Bonus: hyper‐profi ficient intellectu ual who has memorized ACC Bonus: even the m most obscure biits of trivia. Eveeryone AVD Bonus:: else just ca alls you a know w‐it‐all. Skill Points: The characcter may investt points into a unique skill known n as Lore (Everyything) so longg as they Weapons: remain a Red Mage, whicch they may ro oll in place Armor: of any speccialized type off Lore check. This even Magic Schoool: includes no onexistent Lore e types such ass Lore (Animal Hu usbandry) or Lo ore (Embarrasssing Childhood Nicknames forr Members of tthe Royal Famiily). 70 14 4 1 5 22 Spell Rank Novice Intermediate Expert Superior Levels Obtain ned 1, 1, 2, 2, 33 4, 4, 5, 6 7, 7, 8, 9 10, 12, 14 Arcane, Blaade, Reach Light, Mediium, Shields Black, Whitte aise your weap pon like a magiical lightning ro od, focusing a spell's energy into your bodyy. You ra Runic abso orbs and negate es the first spe ell cast in the Red Mage's preesence, be it fro om friend or fo oe. Using Runicc is a Standard action that lastss until the Red Mage either ssuccessfully abbsorbs a spell o or until the starrt of her next turn. ell is absorbed by Runic, the R Red Mage gains MP equal to the spell’s casting cost. After a spe Runic may be used once per combat. wing up a dazzlling burst of m magic with a physical strike is standard fare for these versa atile casters, a and it Follow gives them m a significant eedge in combatt. By using th heir natural hyb bridization to ttheir advantage e, the Red Magge can use magic to cloak an nd distort his acctions while he en ngages in mele ee combat, or just use some o of the left‐ove r energy to givve his rapier strrike an extra boost. Whenever the Red Mage e makes an attaack roll againstt a target that w was affected b by one of their spells in the saame round, theyy receive a +2 bonus to theirr ACC score or iincrease their damage by one step – player’s choice. These bonu uses last until tthe start of the e Red Mage’s n next turn. off at the notio on that magic ttakes years of ddiligent study to understand,, and years mo ore to Most Red Mages sco more practice th han the Magess who learn. Theyy wield raw eneergy with only limited undersstanding ‐ but aa great deal m garb themsselves in robes of black or wh hite ‐ with a tw winkle in their eeye and not a w worry in the wo orld. The characcter may now u use her DEX sco ore for the purrposes of calcuulating of damaage with any w weapon category, and she maay substitute h her MND score for her PWR sscore for the puurposes of calcculating damagge with spells. boomeranging g out You arre capable of rredirecting spells mid‐cast, seending even th e most powerfful of magicks b of control a across the batttlefield. Once per session, the chaaracter may grant herself or one enemy thee Auto‐Reflectt status as an In nstant action, llasting until the sttart of the Red Mage’s next turn. Spells that have been reedirected in thiis fashion havee their damagee and healing ste eps increased b by two, and the e initial caster ggains a +2 bonnus for any opp posed rolls thatt may be involved in the spell. TThis ability mayy be used once e per session an nd does not alllow an opposeed roll to resist the effects of Auto‐ Reflect. of the best things about being g a mage witho out limitations,, rejecting the notions of wha at is and isn’t One of possible, is that there’s never anyone arround telling yyou what you’ree not allowed to do…like rending time and space ogue done fastter, for examplle. in order to get the king’s boring monolo ow choose from the list of Time magic as w well as White a nd Black when n creating yourr character, or You may no selecting yo our spells upon n leveling‐up. 71 n a tip of their hat and a charming smile, thhe Red Mage ccan get preciseely what he or sshe With llittle more than wants – evven if it means turning a newlly‐enraptured ffoe against theeir former alliees to save the m mage’s skin. The characcter chooses a single Humano oid‐type foe off the opposite ssex (or otherw wise potentiallyy interested), designates it to be the target, and then makes an opp posed Finesse ccheck as an Insstant action. Iff the Red Magee is Charm until thee end of the gaame session, orr a few hours aafter successful the target is afffected by the status effect C his effect is brooken if the Red Mage or any o of his allies attack the Red Maage has departted the target’s presence. Th the creaturre in question. Allure even afffects foes who o are normally immune to the effects of Ch harm, although h Notorious Monsters and Bosses still rem main nonplussed. d only once perr game session, and simply haaving this job aability also grants the Red Mage a Allure mayy be attempted +2 bonus o on all Negotiatiion checks. dashing, trend‐‐setting cloak iisn’t just for sh how. By whirlinng your cape arround your perrsonage you may Your d vanish abru uptly, leaving b behind a showeer of sparkling elemental connfetti or a lingeering mirage off yours truly. After suffering or causingg a critical hit, llimit break, or a Complicationn on a skill cheeck, you may choose to activaate ows you to insttantly move a M Medium Rangee, treat a Comp plication as if it was rolled byy Dazzling Diisplay. This allo another ne earby PC insteaad of yourself, and gain the SStun‐Touch andd SOS‐Invisible weapon propeerties until thee end of your nexxt turn. In veryy rare cases ene emies and allie es may choose to clap apprecciatively. a touch, you im mbue the weap pon with an airr of magical poower. Though itt seems no mo ore tangible tha an With a warm brea ath on a frosty morning, the ssimple equipmeent has becom me a powerful vvessel for your arcane spells. The characcter can invest a portion of m magical energy in his or his all ies’ magical weapons as a Slo ow action, granting them the SSpellburst property for any sin ngle spell of Tier 4 or lower tthat the Red M Mage is able to cast. The character using the e enhanced equip pment will be able to then caast the spell di rectly from thee weapon upon landing a crittical hit, or as a standard actio on for no MP cost at a 25% ch hance of breakking the equipm ment, even if tthey are not normally able to use maggic. The Red Mage may only ggrant one Spelllburst propertyy to one weap on at a time, aand this job ability has no effect d upon Improbaable Weapons or on weapon ns whose tier iss less than the tier of the speell. The effects of when used Spellblade last until the R Red Mage choo oses a new spe ell to imbue thee weapon with h. – capable of deefying the grassp of the Farpllane, ripping th heir way back ffrom There are things – horrible things – mmortal aberrrations cannot be the clutchees of death to tturn the world into a living nightmare once more. These im destroyed; instead, they m must be locked d away and tra apped until thee end of time, tthe epoch when n all things com me to u know the seccrets to impriso on such creatures, making yoou a quintessenntial living legeend who alone must an end. You bear the bu urden of strikin ng the final blo ow. After a monster with the Undying property has been reduced to zerro hit points, the Red Mage m may banish thee n Standard actiion…often send ding them to aa place beyondd reality, or trapping them insside a physical beast as an object neve er again to esccape. This remo oves the creatu ure’s Undying property perm manently and ggrants the Red Mage one point o of Destiny. 72 ndo of power w would make otther magic‐useers turn a bit paale and have to o sit down for a a Yourr grand crescen minute. oublecast’, X‐M Magic allows fo or the rapid chaain‐casting of ttwo powerful sspells back to b back Often referrred to as a ‘do in a single tturn, usually fo ollowed up by a skillful melee e attack. Upon using this abillity by expendiing three pointts of Destiny, the Red Mage m may cast any tw wo spells he kno ows as Instantt actions. ols of magic; a player could n not cast two Bllack magic spells However, tthe spells mustt be from two different schoo with a single standard acttion, but they could cast a Time magic spelll and a White magic spell in tandem. X‐Maagic be used once each combat. may only b and careful gesstures that acccompany magiic are usually m more tradition than You’vee found the dellicate phrases a necessary, and thus your casting ritualss are composed d of equal partts convention, iimprovisation, and nonsensee. e crimson‐robe ed wizards, Fasstcast allows fo or precisely wh hat it sounds like; One of the most coveted abilities of the on instead of aa Slow action. you may caast one spell eaach round as a Standard actio age’s weapon was almost hyypnotic; each flflourishing cut bbuffeted us with an arcing bllast of To gazze upon the ma air, each pa arry sent scattering sparks off lightning and d fire, and whenn we tried to fllee we were an nchored in a numbing clloud of frost. When the R Red Mage is ussing a weapon with the [Elem ment] Strike, [EElement] Wardd, [Status]‐Proo of or [Status] To Touch property th hey may, as an Instant action n on their turn,, change the w weapon’s elemeent or named sstatus to any o other they like, so long as the rules would normally allow it. For example, a Tier 2 weapon may still no ot deal Holy daamage orm Blind Toucch into Poison Touch at will. with [Element] Strike, butt the Red Mage could transfo use Fencer to change weapon n properties thhat are granted d by other job aabilities; they m may The Red Mage may not u weapon normaally. only changge the properties that alreadyy exist on the w 73 SAAMURAI 侍 Samurai arre tradition‐bound warriors w who almost alw ways follow a ccode of martial con nduct known as Bushido. Lite erally translatin ng to 'the path of the brave warrior', th his lifestyle is o one which stressses bravery, h honor, chivalry and self‐ discipline in as well as ou ut of battle. Tho ough the ethics of Bushido p lace as much on nobility as itt does on stren ngth, a Samuraai is a versatile combatant emphasis o not to be reckoned with. mounted combbat and Though maany Samurai arre also trained in the arts of m archery, ab ble to engage their opponentts up close as w well as at a disttance, their weapon of choice is almo ost always a blaade. In part, th his is due to thee mystical ed to the consttruction of their weapon; the e metal of the kkatana practice tie entraps a n nature spirit kn nown as a kami, binding it to the weapon d uring the forging pro ocess. Learningg how to free th hese imprisone ed spirits is an integral and long‐winde ed part of the SSamurai's train ning, and Samu urai who distingguish themselvess through theirr accomplishments in battle w will eventuallyy learn to expand this talent into haarnessing the p power of free‐roaming spiritss. They are ns of water Kam mi, or often seen moving bare‐ffooted over lakkes on cushion oaked by fire Kaami. travelling through the bittterest cold clo HP Bonuus: 16 Draw‐Out is a techniique not to be ttaken lightly; a as much as MP Bonuus: 0 ai value their w weapon, circum mstances may fforce them the Samura ACC Bonus: 2 to shatter iit in order to un nleash the full force of the Ka ami spirit AVD Bonnus: 7 locked with hin. Skill Poinnts: 18 By using th heir turn to draaw forth the po ower from an e equipped Blade or Re each category weapon as a Standard action n, the Kami Weaponns: Blade, Ranged, Reach trapped wiithin is released in an explosive burst of splintered Armorr: Light, Meedium, Heavy steel. The ccharacter auto omatically dealss ((PWR + RES + DEX + MND) x We eapon Tier) + 2 2d6 points of e elemental M.AR RM damage to a single target and cau uses additional effects based on the list he following paage. All damagge dealt is of th he same found on th elemental type as the Kami within the B Blade. o use a lower tier Draw Out than the level oof his current w weapon tier if h he so chooses,, and A Samurai may choose to may only use D Draw Out on a weapon that b belongs to the m. a Samurai m After Draw w Out has been used, the weaapon gains the Broken propeerty until it is reepaired, reducing all damagee it deals by tw wo steps and preventing the w wielder from m making critical hits. Even Indeestructible weaapons can be ggiven the Broken n property in th his manner. 74 Tier 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Efffect Disspatch: An unseeen specter‐swoord slashes at the target. No addditional effect. Bizzen Boat: Blue flame encircles the Samurai beffore engulfing onne enemy. The SSamurai receivess the effects of eeither Sheell or Protect until combat ends.. Against an Und dead target, all w weapon properties that activatee upon a critical hit (su uch as Spellburstt) so do before th he weapon is rendered broken. To ornado: An enorrmous hurricanee sweeps over thhe battlefield. Alll enemies are afffected by the damage dealt witth this Draaw‐Out and are Knocked Back a medium range. Pu urifying Blossom m: The Samuraii and one other aally are bathed iin a brilliant whiite light. All negaative status effects (exxcept Fear and U Unconsciousnesss) are removed ffrom the Samuraai and one ally oof his choice, and d both the Samu urai and d that ally imme ediately regain 100% of their maaximum MP (if a pplicable). Shooting Star: A beam of light bllasts one enemyy. The Samurai reeceives the effects of Haste until combat ends. Ba anishing Blade:: Five glowing sppheres of energyy decimate the ttarget. Make an opposed Force check; if successsful, the e foe receives th he effects of all the Samurai ‘bre eak’ abilities for oone round; Armor Break, Powerr Break, Magic B Break, and d Speed Break. IIf the opposed check fails, the taarget only sufferrs one of the aboove effects of th heir choice. Iai Strike: The Sam murai raises his weapon high be efore bringing it down in a graceeful arc, cleavingg a perfect line thrrough an enemyy before the kataana shatters. Iai Strike deals 2000% damage and aall weapon prop perties that activvate upon a critical hit sso do immediate ely. Ka aiten: The skies churn with windd and lightning aas the Samurai reeleases the kam mi spirit from a leegendary blade. And the en…nothing. No grand crescendo of power, no ccosmic strength to smite your enemies. Only peeace. At last your mind is clear, emptied d of the battlefield’s distractionss. Concepts like ffear and weakneess slip away fro om you u, and you realizze you have reacched the end of a cycle. Now, it is time to begin anew. Aftter having used Kaiten, you perm manently gain th he effects of Imppervious (an imm munity to all neggative status effeects), and d you gain a point of Destiny at the end of any tturn in which yo u defeated an eenemy without aany weapon high her thaan Tier 1 equipped. Furthermore e, all Tier 1 weap pons now deal ( PWR, DEX, or REES x 10) + 2d6 po oints of damagee on a succcessful attack. TThe Kaiten Draw w‐Out may ever o only be used aftter the Samurai hhas proved him or herself worth hy, at the e GM’s discretion as always. n each katana lives a Kami sw word spirit – an n elemental m anifestation off the Bushido a able to exercisee Within slight contrrol over their eelement and aid d the Samurai when he needs ds it the most. TThough influen ntial and often mischievou us, the Kami arre far from omn nipotent, and n never maliciouus. When a Samurai synthesizes a Blade we eapon, he mayy choose Roll Kamii Element ntal type of Kami within his sword – otherw wise the Associated Skills the elemen 1 Fire Synthesis, Vehicles elemental type is chosen randomly, and d does not natturally 2 Earth Scavenge, Natture elements. Whe enever you purrchase or include Shaadow or Holy e W Wind Awareness, Lo ore 3 find a Blade weapon, the player or the GM should roll 1d6 and 4 W Water Stealth, Swimm ming e table to the right to determ mine its elemen nt. consult the 5 Ligghtning Athletics, Escaape Weapons tthat have the EElemental Strikke or Element EEnhancer 6 Ice Inquiry, Negotiaation property use a Kami of th he same type w where applicab ble, and the N/A Shhadow Acting, Thieveery weapon cannot be changed byy job Elemental SStrike of the w N/A Healing, Negotiation Holy abilities. wo further bon nuses. This elemental alignmentt also grants tw would deal eleemental damagge as the samee type of Kami ffound First, the Samurai is immune to Difficultt Terrain that w pped weapon, or whenever tthe GM would deem it appro opriate. For exaample, a Fire K Kami within his ccurrently‐equip could allow w the Samurai tto pull orphans out of a burn ning building unnharmed, or perhaps preven nt them from suffering in n the bitter cold. Secondly, w whenever the SSamurai attem mpts to make a skill check of SSupreme difficculty (20) or higgher on a skill belonging tto their listed e elemental type e (for example,, making a Heaaling check with an Earth Kam mi) the Samuraai gains a +4 bonus to that rroll. ed Soul grants no benefit when a Samurai w wields a Brokenn weapon. Unburdene 75 Falllen heroes and d the intangiblee Kami guide th he Samurai’s sstrikes, leaving foes struggling to stand aga ainst the your rig ghteous assaullt. In your hand ds, weapon and warrior are uunited in spirit.. Choose one e of the follow wing four styless of Break Arts which the cha racter perman nently gains acccess to. Using a Break Art iss a Standard Action that requ uires a successsful attack roll tto hit your opp ponent, but causes no damagge. You may taake this ability multiple timess to add a new Break Art to yyour repertoiree each time. hly whisper see ems to flow fro om the Samuraai’s blade, whicch brings even the strongest foes Power Break: An unearth ngle enemy is aafflicted with P Power Break; h his physical dam mage dealt and d Force attribu ute is halved fo or 4 down. A sin rounds. Power Break mayy only be active on one enem my at a time, annd some bossees may be imm mune to this ab bility. he enemy, sea ring flesh and bone. A single foe is afflicted d with Armor Break: A conflagraation of blue flames blazes th uces their ARM and MARM to o zero for 4 rouunds. Armor Brreak may only be active on o one Armor Breaak, which redu enemy at aa time, and som me bosses mayy be immune to o this ability. Magic Brea ak: Intangible ccherry‐blossom ms swirl around d the target, b urning into hiss very soul. A single foe is affllicted with Magicc Break; his maagical damage d dealt is halved for 4 rounds. Magic Break m may only be acttive on one enemy at a time, aand some bossses may be imm mune to this ab bility. Speed Brea ak: The world seems to darkken as the Samurai propels a glowing silver sphere of eneergy at the targget. A single foe is afflicted with h Speed Break, which halves his Finesse, AV VD and ACC forr 4 rounds. Speeed Break mayy only on one enemy aat a time, and some bosses m may be immun e to this abilityy. be active o d You grracefully sidesttep the clumsyy advances of yyour opponentss, or easily knoock aside their overeager and straightforrward attacks w with reflexive p parries. Years o of refined tacticcal knowledgee and experiencce guide mean you can easily o overcome the b brutish beasts of the world, a and your confiddence in your oown abilities keeeps you fightiing long after o other heroes w would falter. Whenever the character successfully evvades an enem my’s attack, theey recover (MN ND x Level) hit points as a Broken weapon. Regeneratiion effect. Thiss value is increaased to (MND x Twice Level) if the Samuraii is wielding a B blight on this eearth than the FFiends, creaturres of supernatural descent sserving the forcces of There is no greater b hat. evil. You seeek to rectify th By activatin ng Ancient Circcle as a slow acction, the Samu urai and his alllies gain the Fieend Killer prop perty on any weapon they wield until combat e ends. warriors that sca atter the land, none is more dangerous in ssingle, one‐on‐‐one combat th han a Of all the types of w Samurai. ur enemies is aa Fiend, or whe en the Samuraai fights alone w without the aid d of his allies (ssuch When one or more of you ey have been re endered uncon nscious), the Saamurai gains aa +2 bonus on o opposed rolls aand as during aa Duel, or if the deals an ad dditional damaage step with all attacks. These effeccts stack, grantting a +4 bonus on opposed rolls and a twoo damage step increase if thee Samurai was to battle a Fie end without an ny outside help p. 76 weapon is as fa amiliar to you a as an extension of your own body, and youu employ it to d deadly effect. Your w The Samurai treats their equipped Blad de and Reach w weapons as thoough they posssess the Indesttructible and U Unified properties.. The weapon d does not posse ess these prope erties for anyoone else. Two‐Hande ed grip, therefo ore, prevents aa Samurai from m being disarm med as well as aallowing him to o repair the weapons th hat have been damaged by u using Draw Outt without needding a skill checck. Samurai often speakk of Maia, whicch refers to thee critical distannce between oppponents, a seense of timing o battle, and an n understandin ng of how one'ss opponent mooves. It is the ddistance around d the Samurai where intricate to his sword m may strike, and d senses even tthe smallest rip pples of movem ment. Your ‘innner eye’ is one o of the most pu ure manifestattions of this. When Third d Eye is used aas an Instant acction at any tim me, even whenn it isn’t the Sam murai’s turn, the Samurai will negate all d damage and efffects from the e next Single‐taargeted physicaal or magical aattack they would receive. Th hird Eye may be e used once pe er session, and is unfortunate ely ineffective against limit breaks and critical hits. Furthermore, when the SSamurai is affliccted by the negative status eeffect Blind or iis otherwise att a penalty to aattack uch as from Diffficult Terrain), this penalty iss completely negated; they still roll 2d6 as due to a loss of vision (su nvisible enemie es as though th he positive sta tus effect didn n’t grant any bo onuses. normal. They also treat In may disable onee of By strriking with the fflat of your weeapon or its pommel, or evenn with a nearbyy object, you m your huma an enemies with hout causing a any lasting injury. You may acctivate Pomme el Strike as an IInstant action aagainst any Huumanoid targett, once per rou und. Make a Fo orce or Finesse check with a + +2 bonus againsst your oppone ent’s Force rol l. If you are successful, your target is o its effects. Th his status effectt does immediately inflicted witth the Sleep staatus, even if they’d normally be immune to not wear o off in four rounds as normal aand instead lasts for several l ong minutes. M Magic and item ms can still heaal the effect prem maturely, as no ormal. Pommel Strike has no effect on notoorious monsterrs or bosses. bing yourself in n humble, simpple garments thhat never hind der your movem ments You esschew the use of armor, garb – instead, yyou rely on sup perior swordsm manship to parrry and deflect aattacks. When not w wearing armorr of any type, tthe Samurai is granted bonuss ARM and M.A ARM based on his level; conssult the table b below. The Sam murai may not b benefit from th he effects of thhe Fortified equipment propeerty. Level ARM M/M.ARM 1 4 2 6 3 8 4 12 5 15 6 20 7 25 8 30 Level ARM/M M.ARM 9 35 3 10 40 4 11 55 5 12 70 7 13 85 8 14 10 00 15 12 20 77 hallenge your a adversary to ho onorable comb bat, and the loccal kami give sstrength to thiss avowal. The ttwo of You ch you are surrrounded by a wall of unbrea akable energy tthat locks you iinto a confronttation that onlly one will everr walk away from. on a Samurai m may choose a ssingle foe and battle him without By expendiing two points of Destiny as aan Instant actio interruptio on, engaging th hem in one‐on‐‐one combat. D Duel lasts until either the Sam murai or his chosen opponen nt is reduced to o 0 hit points an nd lies at the fe eet of the othe er. Duel is subject to a few im mportant restrrictions. First, neither the Samurai nor his targett can receive aid from their aallies in any fasshion; whetherr this be througgh Abilities, spellss that strengthhen or heal, items tossed into o the fray, or any group combat bonuses granted by Job A empt. They sim mply have no efffect on the Saamurai or his o pponent. similar atte Secondly, n no other individual may alterr the course of the Duel by daamaging or tarrgeting the Sam murai or his opponent w with detrimenttal effects. And finally,, neither partyy may end the D Duel prematurrely or Escape ffrom combat u under any circu umstances. However, tthe Samurai is rarely at a largge disadvantagge even when ffighting foes m much more pow werful than he.. While the D Duel persists, tthe Samurai may perform Lim mit Breaks wheenever he rollss a critical hit reegardless of his current rem maining HP. Fu urthermore, choosing to auto omatically use aa Limit Break o only costs 1 po oints of Destinyy instead of tthe standard 3 3. Once the fiight has ended d, the normal rules of reality reassert themsselves. amurai has com me face‐to‐facce with a truly d dangerous foe,, and knows hee must end thee battle with a single The Sa stroke. He draws his blad de and rushes h his opponent, leeaving himselff completely deefenseless for a a single moment. and both the eenemy and the Samurai remaain motionless. And then one of The sound of flashing steel fills the air, a nd, defeated orr dead and som metimes in piecces. The other sstands, triump phant. the two fallls to the groun Using Ichiggeki Hissatsu is a risky gambitt, but is capable of stopping eeven the most fearsome of eenemies. The Samurai takes a Stan ndard action an nd makes an op pposed Finessee check. The lo oser of the roll is permanently killed. Simp ply, cleanly, and instantly, afffecting even Bo osses who wouuld be immunee to such instant‐death attaccks or who possess the Undyingg property. end Destiny to increase the re esults of the Fiinesse rolls – h however, Bossees and Notorio ous The Samurai may not spe monsters ccan – and deaths caused in th his way cannott be altered viaa the expenditu ure of Destiny.. blade from its ssheath, strikingg an opponentt, removing blo ood Iaido iis the smooth, controlled art of drawing a b from the bllade, and then replacing the sword in the sccabbard in a siingle motion. B By learning thiss art of gracefu ul strikes, you u have becomee more adept a at calling forth a blade’s true power withoutt damaging the sword. Whenever a character wiith this ability u uses Draw‐Outt, there is now w a flat 50% chaance that the kkatana will not ding one pointt of Destiny youu can ensure that this will bee the case, become Brroken. Alternattively, by spend preventingg your weapon from being daamaged when iits true power is unleashed. 78 THIEF シーフ Most urban n communitiess have at least a handful of th hieves, skilled aand streetwisee folk determ mined to survivve in the metro opolitan world. Because puniishments for thieves who are caught red‐handed can n be quite seve ere, they have often been er in sheltered bands where tthey can look oout for one known to ccluster togethe another. Th his might be an nything from splitting the dayy’s pilfered spooils to orchestratiing daring jailb breaks, or team ming up for more elaborate h eists and cons. The Thief iss a master of taking what the ey like, though the exact skill set thieves possess do oes tend to varyy. Some accom mplish this with h stealth, emerrging from the shadows fo or split secondss before fadingg back into neaar‐invisibility. O Others are conn men and w women who em mploy misdirection and honeyyed words, havving their targets hap ppily hand over the goods thaanks to a web of deception. SSome are simply nimble‐fingered pickpockets and d cutpurses, street urchins w who have learned the e art out of neccessity. Otherss still are little more than glo rified thugs or back‐alley ruffians trying to muscle their way to wealtth. From piratees to pickpocketts, courtesans tto charlatans, sstealing is the Thief’s forte, aand it is a gift they have ttaken to an entirely new leve el. HP Bonuus: 14 allmark of the TThief is the abiility to steal fro om anyone, The ha MP Bonu us: 0 anytime, anywhere – inclluding in the m midst of battle. ACC Bon us: 2 ocket in combaat, and with You may usse the Thieveryy skill to pickpo AVD Bonnus: 6 a much wid der variety of p possibilities at the GM’s discrretion; Skill Poinnts: 22 often everyything from snatching your o opponent's weaapon to the clothes off his back, provving once and ffor all that the hand is Weaponns: Brawl, Co oncealed, Ranged eye. indeed quicker than the e Armorr: Light, Meedium midst of combatt a Standard acction and In order to Steal in the m heck is required – the Thief rolls her Thieve ery skill opposed ch versus the Finesse of one e opponent witthin a Short Raange. A eans that the TThief managed to nab her cho osen prize, wh ere a failure m means that Steaal has no effectt. If success me the Thief doesn't alreadyy have a specific object in min nd, the Bestiaryy lists the item ms that can be sstolen from an ny ning given monsster; however, we’re certain that creative TThieves will finnd better uses ffor this ability than simply lin their pocke ets and disarming enemies. nct that rarely steers you wro ong, helping yoou to spot danger and treasu ure before the rrest of You have a gut instin ou know when its time to cut your losses annd get out whille the getting’ss good. your party,, and letting yo The characcter may now cchoose to use h her Thievery skkill in place of hher Awarenesss skill on all cheecks. In additio on, a character w with Treasure H Hunter never h has to make Esscape checks too Run Away in combat – it is assumed that they always automatically succeed if they ch hoose to do so.. 79 hief moves thro ough her enem mies’ ranks and d vanishes into their midst, diisguising herseelf as one of theem. The Th As a Standaard action once per combat yyou may activaate Double Ageent to make an n Acting skill ch heck, opposed by a Finesse che eck by each of your enemies separately. Th he Thief gains aa +4 bonus to tthis check if she had previoussly used Steal to grab a tuft o of hair, uniform m, or other item in order to tthrow together an imprompttu disguise. my who fails the e check to see through Double Agent will b e convinced th he Thief is one of their own, aand Each enem affected monsters will no ot attempt to e exclusively targget the Thief. CCollateral damaage (such as raandomly targetting attacks) can still occur. d attacks that ggrant Furthermore, they will treat the Thief aas a member off their Group ffor the purposees of spells and effects. beneficial e The effect of Double Agent is broken if the Thief attaccks any monsteer who had failed the finessee check or makkes obviously hostile actions tow ward them, but otherwise lastts until the end d of combat. any other o maneuver the Th hief is able to ssteal even the pprotective auraas possessed b by her foes and d use With tthis unusual m them as heer own. Upon obtaining Flimflam, the Thief can now use her SSteal innate abbility to pilfer p positive status eeffects. As alw ways, olls her Thievery skill versus tthe opponent’s Finesse attribbute. If she succceeds, one po ositive status eeffect the Thief ro – Shell, Pro otect, Auto‐Lifee, Haste, or the e like – of the ccharacter’s chooice is removed d from the foe and added to the Thief insteaad. The remain ning duration o of the status efffect (if it has oone) does not cchange. If the charaacter no longer possesses the e Steal innate aability, they m ay still perform m this maneuver by rolling Thievery ve ersus Finesse – – however, it fu unctions as a SSlow action insttead of a Stand dard action. pay just didn’t kknow the resalle value of draggon scales and d Malboro mosss. No Whoeever said that ccrime doesn’t p longer conttent with simple larceny, you u have achieved d the pinnacle of armed robbbery and are ab ble to snatch unprotecteed valuables wh henever you m make a particula arly deadly striike. Whenever you roll a critical hit you mayy also steal the e item carried bby the given m monster as an Instant action, eeding to make e an opposed ccheck. If the mo onster no longger has the item m to Steal, a kind GM might aaward without ne the player a Component, temporary combat bonuses, or even gil. M Mug can be useed even if the ccharacter no lo onger eal innate abilitty. has the Ste misdirection an nd deception, ccapable of direccting your targget’s attention elsewhere whilst You’ree a master of m your rifle th hrough their po ockets and reliieve them of th heir valuables. After obtaining this ability, Thievery skill checks can n no longer be oppposed with an n Awareness ro oll – proving th hat er than the eye e. Furthermore e, the Thief getts a +2 bonus tto his Thieveryy skill checks. the hand iss indeed quicke Last but certainly not least, the charactter has gained tthe ability to SSteal something at a Medium m Range by expending one point of d destiny; she can n nab loot she couldn’t possiibly reach, such h as a golden cchalice on the iinside d safe, or the se et of keys hangging on the far wall. The difficculty for such SSteal checks is simply treated d as if of a locked there were e no distance b between the th hief’s hand and d the object shee wishes to pilffer. 80 g advantage off the opening ccaused by yourr ally’s sudden misdirection, yyou tumble intto melee rangee and Taking let the beast have it! uccessful Team mwork Attack thhey are treated d as having thee Lucky properrty Whenever the Thief participates in a su or critical hits tto occur on atttack rolls of 11‐12) and their damage dealt is increased by two steps; fo or (allowing fo example, aan attack that w would normallyy deal (DEX x 3 3) + 2d6 would now deal (DEXX x 5) + 2d6 insstead. ut now watch tthis! I guesss that was an okay move…bu Whenever the Thief spen nds Destiny to add an additio onal d6 to any rroll, there is a 50% chance th hat the Thief w will e bonus dice, b but not actuallyy lose any Desttiny if the roll ssucceeds. For eexample, a chaaracter could spend receive the 3 points of Destiny to increase her Steaal check up to 5 5d6 plus her Thhievery skill. If the check is su uccessful, the G GM flips a coin or otherwise ccalculates the 50% chance – if the Thief is l ucky, she retains the entire ssum of Destinyy she e spent! would have hrows your opp ponent off‐gua ard and leaves their defensess unsteady. Your ccunning ruse th You may acctivate Feint on nce per combaat session as an n Instant actionn, or as many ttimes as you like per combatt as Standard actions. Choose e one enemy and roll your Accting skill oppoosed by their enemy’s Finessee roll. If the Feint is nt is treated ass having an effe ective AVD of 00. The effects o of Feint last un ntil the start of the successful, your opponen foe’s next tturn. pecialize in mo oving contraban nd from place to place, but w whether this booils down to co ounterfeit gil orr even You sp people variies on the Thieff. All of the character’s weaapons are treatted as though they were alsoo Concealed, allowing the Thief to deal nd of combat. A Any Special Veehicle owned b by the Thief or a member of tthe additional damage duringg the first roun e (or any otherr feature of yo ur choice if it aalready had access to a Smugggler’s party gainss the Smugglerr’s Hold feature Hold). And finally, the Thief may add haalf of their Merrcantile skill too their Stealth rrolls, rounded down. ake advantagee of your foe’s h helplessness to o deliver an eleegant coup de ggrace. You ta When strikking a target that is affected b by the negative e status effectss Stop, Petrify,, Stun or Sleep,, or otherwise treated as having an AVD D score of zero,, your damage is increased bby one step. That is, a weapon n that would e would now do (DEX x 2), annd so on. normally do (DEX x 1) points of damage mes, increasingg the damage bby one addition nal step each ttime. This ability can be taken up to three tim 81 ngly‐fast strike that pierces th hrough your oppponent’s defeenses before prreparing a real l one, You deeliver a blindin choosing offfense over deffense. As an Instant action once e per round, yo ou may make an additional atttack that onlyy deals (DEX x 1 1) + 2d6 pointss of damage to the enemy thaat ignores ARM M. Although Qu uick Hit requirees a successfull attack roll, this additional atttack cannot result in a critical hit. d spells as norm mal. Quick Hit’s damage stepss can be increased by job abillities, weapon properties and master’ Thief, the character iis a living legen nd spoken of m mostly in whisppers. Stealing flleets of airship ps is As a ‘m impressive,, sure.…but a m master thief co ould steal someeone’s voice, m memory, or eveen their soul. After gainin ng this ability, there is literally no longer an ny limit to whaat can be stolen n with a Thieveery skill check aat appropriately high difficu ulties outside o of combat, and characters aree encouraged tto be outrageo ous in the use o of this edly set the diffficulty for suchh feats as ‘Godlike’ and ‘Impo ossible’ – and rrightly ability. Be aaware the GM will undoubte so! ombat situation however, the e Thief may still attempt to SSteal any of thee following from his enemiess: During a co us Monsters an nd Bosses, tho ough Cool Stuff: The Thief can often nab craffting additionaal Components from Notoriou er tier level than the party is u used to or wouuld obtain with h a successful SScavenge skill ccheck. generally aat a much lowe Essence: Th he Thief may in nstantly removve 25% of his o opponent’s maaximum HP and d MP with a su uccessful Steal, which is then added to hiis current HP (aand MP, if app plicable) totals directly as a Regeneration efffect. he Thief may snatch a single point of Destin ny from his oppponent. There’’s no way to teell how many p points Destiny: Th of Destiny a monster has (if any!) beforre this maneuvver is attempteed, however. e Thief strips their monstrous target of their powers, gainn any one of th he following Monster Abilitiees if Ability: The the creaturre possesses th hem; Regenera ation, Flight, Un nusual Defensee, Controlled D Defense, Countterattack, Mag gical Counteratttack, Status Touch, Flawless SSpell, Submerg ge or Inhale. Thhe enemy then loses access to this ability until the end of combat. with Job Abilitie es, the same ru ule of thumb aapplies; the tarrget loses accesss to one Job A Ability If used on aan opponent w of the thieff’s choice (thatt cannot be a LLimit Ability) an nd the characteer gains accesss to it. a lifetime of tellling people exaactly what theyy want to hearr, you can Every man has a pricce; thanks to a supernaturrally discern exxactly what thiss price is. By spendin ng one point off Destiny, the TThief may learn n one minor shhort‐term goal of the target, as well as theirr Life Goal; thouggh such phrase es are normallyy attributed to the PCs, even the lowliest citizen or most enigmatic vizieer’s agenda is cclearly laid out for the thief w who uses this ability. The cha racter gains a +4 bonus to all Negotiation cchecks and oppose ed rolls againstt their target from that pointt on. Furthermore, by expending an addition nal point of Desstiny at any tim me thereafter, the character may automatically nst the target, as they use their silver tongu ue to convince them succeed at a Godlike (or less) Negotiation check again hief has the pow wer to help fulfill the target’s ambitions annd life goal, and d make them aan offer they can’t that the Th refuse. 82 TIMME MAGE 時魔道士 時 Sometimess called ‘Dimen nsion Mages,’ TTime Mages tap on the forcees of time and d space. In resh haping the elusive power of tthe cosmos, thhey can freeze an opponent in their tracks o or rain flamingg meteors dow wn m, force objectss to age thousaands of years in n the blink of aan upon them eye, or ban nish someone iinto another re eality entirely. The most powerful are capable of ffolding up histo ory and travelling across the ost other eons by sheer willpower alone – a fact that makes mo spellcasters glad of the Time Mages' relative scarcity. While othe er Jobs generally have a varie ety of weaponss at their disposal, m most Time Mages are seen be earing rather co omplicated staves. In ffact, a Time Maage’s staff is so omething of an n oddity. Due too their naturral forgetfulnesss, many of the e founding mem mbers of this magical sch hool chose to aattach items off sentimental vvalue to their staves to re emind them off the past. Man ny fledgling maages have chossen to follow th his tradition ou ut of respect to o the originato ors of Time Magic. Feathers, weddingg rings, pockett watches, articcles of clothingg of n comrades, all these and more can be foun nd attached to a their fallen Time Mage e’s cane, and th his fact has serrved as the pun nch line for maany a joke. If th he inscrutable mages are offe ended by such humor, they generally ggive no indication. You bend and twist th he dimensions,, ns away from a a smug snatching yyour possession adversary… …and allowing yourself the brriefest of smiles as th hey appear in m mid‐air before you. You alwayss have access to your possesssions, equipmentt and inventoryy, regardless off the distance be etween you. W With little more e than a thought yo ou may summo on such items tto your hand or send them away into some unkknown emain safe and d out‐of‐ dimension,, where they re sight until tthey are neede ed. HP Bonus: MP Bonus: ACC Bonus: AVD Bonus:: Skill Points: 16 4 0 4 22 Spell Rank Novice Intermediate Expert Superior Ancient Levels Obtain ned 1, 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6 7, 8, 9 10, 12 14 Weapons: Armor: Magic Schoool: Arcane Light Time ay as you efforrtlessly propel yyourself upwa rd. The grround falls awa The Time M Mage receives the effects of A Auto‐Flight at all times, evenn when unconsscious. This preevents the Time Mage from m taking falling damage as we ell as negating damage and efffects from Earth‐based spells and abilitiess. 83 hysical anchor r to your adverssary before shuunting them ouut of this realitty, or trap them m in a You attach a metaph moment off unchanging tiime. By taking aa standard actio on and makingg a successful o opposed Force roll once per ssession, you caan transport on ne opponent iinto the vacuous space outsid de of time. The e chosen enem my becomes un ntargetable, im mmune to all damage an nd effects, affliccted by Stun evven if they’d normally be imm mune to its efffects, and ultim mately removeed from comb bat for one round. At the end d of the Time M Mage’s next turrn the monsterr comes staggeering back into o reality, end ding the effect and automaticcally inflicting tthem with the Confuse statuus. Creatures w who have spen nt a large amou unt of time in tthe Void or thee Farplane are generally imm mune to this ab bility. magical plasma a into a type of f defensive bubbble, the Time M Mage can lesseen the physicall harm Able tto twist pure m caused by eenemy attackss. You may de eclare the activvation of Magiic Shield as a Sttandard actionn – it then perssists until it is ccancelled as an n Instant action, the characcter’s MP beco omes 0, or whe en the characteer is knocked u unconscious, w whichever happ pens e Magic Shield is active, all en nemies who strrike the Time M Mage with phyysical attacks are treated as iff they first. While had the MP P Damage weaapon property – 50% of the total damage thhey deal targets the Time Maage’s HP, and tthe other 50% targets their M MP. Damaging spells cast against the Time M Mage remain u unchanged. may lift, manipu ulate or even th hrow gigantic objects with thhe power of yoour mind alone. You m The Time M Mage can use h his telekinesis tto physically in nteract with noon‐sentient objjects up to a M Medium Range away as a Standaard action – so he could, for e example, flip aa switch from aacross the room m, but he could d not attempt to use his telekine esis to ‘hold’ so omeone in placce with an opp posed Force chheck or lift himsself off the gro ound, since thee latter two w would both be e sentient targe ets. You may allso use your Te elekinesis to atttack enemies w with weapons or objects (in which case theey become Improbable e weapons) at up to a medium range away. Such attackss calculate dam mage with yourr MND attributte instead of ttheir default, aand you do nott suffer penaltiies to your roll s for attemptin ng to use Imprrobable weapo ons without the e Brawl skill. Remember thatt you must stilll be able to ‘liftt’ an object with a Force roll to use it as an Improbable e weapon, and d such improvissed attacks usu ually come wit h additional efffects as decideed by the GM (such a gigantic b boulder havingg Earth Strike o or a storm of fe eathers Blindin g the target). an oncoming sppell or encapsuulate one of your own, effectiively You prroject a bubblee of liquid timee to intercept a sending it iinto the future. As an Instant action afterr a spell is cast with the Time Mage as the ttarget or caster, you may imm mediately use Delay Inevitable tto stop the spe ell from resolviing, even if thiss would mean interrupting an enemy’s turn n. At the end o of the Time Mage e’s next turn th he spell ‘goes o off’ as normal. If the Time Mage (or any other characte ers) are no longer valid targeets when the sp pell resolves, ssuch as being outside of the spell’s rangge, it fails and has no effect. ect only one sp pell at a time, aand this ability may be used o once per comb bat. Delay Ineviitable may affe 84 ay at rest, and a Time Mage in motion tendds to make his allies nervous.. A Tiime Mage at reest tends to sta You may ch hoose to gain e either the SOS‐‐Slow or SOS‐H Haste propertyy when reduced d to 25% health or less, allow wing you to beco ome Slowed, H Hasted, or neither, as the situ uation calls forr. Whenever the character is affected by tthe positive status affect Hasste, he also beecomes immun ne to the statuss p and may perform one skill ccheck each round as an Instannt action fasteer than the eyee can see, regarrdless effect Stop of how long it might norm mally take. You u may use this skill check eveen if it would in nterrupt an eneemy’s turn, allo owing h as catching aa bullet with an n extremely higgh Athletics roll…or just plain n cheat at card ds. you to perfform feats such Whenever the Time Mage is afflicted byy the positive sstatus affect Sllow, he becom mes immune to all Knockbackk d deals an additional three daamage steps w with all spells annd attacks. Likee the cosmos, it sometimes sseems effects and to take you u millennia to aaccumulate energy…but whe en you do, the result is a specctacular explossion of power. ability to control the flow of g gravity and thee dimensions aallows you to peerform feats off strength with h Your a nothing bu ut the power off your mind. The Time M Mage may use his Finesse sco ore in place of his Force scoree for all opposeed checks, or w when interacting with objectts – moving, th hrowing, or bre eaking them, and so on. ally strolls out of the way of ooncoming bulleets. The Tiime Mage twissts the flow of time and casua Blink may b be used as an IInstant action o once per sessio on at any timee, even when itt isn’t the Timee Mage’s turn, to grant the u user an immediate Standard aaction. It also ggrants a +2 bonnus to the Tim me Mage’s AVD until the startt of their next tturn, due to the sudden disorientating movvement. Since tthis Standard aaction can actu ually interrupt a foe’s turn, Blink can be fu urther combine ed with Haste to allow for enntire spells to b be cast during an enemy’s round. ually uses cosm mic fundamenttals to producee a wide range of effects – thee Despitte the name, Tiime Magic actu manipulatiion of gravity tto attack, magn netic fields to p protect, and thhe ability to halt the flow of time. Its practitioneers harness the withering pow wer of novas, leengthen minuttes into years, aand tear throu ugh the fabric o of reality outrright. It’s also a a great way to get some reallly neat junk froom the future. By spendin ng two points o of Destiny outside of combat,, you are able tto create a direect link with th he most important person in the universe – yyourself. The immediate ben nefits to this arre twofold. uture self will aanswer most questions posed d to it (albeit inn a short and ssweet sort of w way) unless theey find First, the fu the questio ons to be particcularly vague o or obnoxious. SSuch answers aaren’t always p prophetic, how wever, since meddling in the fabric of the universe o often means th hings can go wiildly awry. While Time Mages often find their ettably short o on patience, mo ost of them asssume it’s becaause they can rremember future avattars to be regre themselvess asking these very same que estions not too o long ago. Secondly, tthe future self will generally b be willing to le end some assisttance in the fo orm of gear fro om their timelin ne, grating the e character one e crafting Component of the GM’s choice, w with a Tier similar to the character’s curren nt level. For e example, a futu ure Time Mage e who possesse ed a staff that ggranted +2 MN ND might send back a Knowleedge Componen nt, knowing the e present version would (probably) craft th e material into o a functional w weapon, which h they would then n possess in the future when their past selff will come beggging for help. 85 ding over the primal forces thhat drive the unniverse itself alllow him to do the The Tiime Mage’s total understand unthinkablle – stop time. The entire univverse comes to o a quiet halt w with the Time M Mage at the center of everyth hing, giving the u user of this gallaxy‐altering m magic a few preecious minutess outside the floow of reality. Upon takin ng a Standard aaction and spen nding three or more points oof Destiny to usse Cosmic Stan ndstill, the Time Mage immediately takes a number of aadditional turnss equal to the number of poiints of Destiny spent. They m may ny abilities, acttions or skill checks they like during this tim me, even action ns that may not normally be perform an mic performed while in comb bat. Every othe er object and livving thing in thhe galaxy is Stoopped and Stun nned until Cosm ends, even if th hey’d normally be immune to o these status eeffects. Standstill e Attacks maade and Spells cast during this Epic Ability aare all treated aas Standard Acctions that hap ppen simultaneo ously; a charactter cannot, forr example, use Cosmic Standsstill, dispel a fo oe’s Reflect staatus and THEN begin to blast aw way with magic. Characters caannot cast the ‘Hyperdrive’ s pell, land criticcal hits or causse Limit Breakss to occur durin ng the effects o of Cosmic Stan ndstill, and Hasste does not afffect the number of turns a Time Mage getss while Cosm mic Standstill iss active. Since o objects don’t vvisually changee on their own during Cosmicc Standstill, thee GM is not unde er any obligatio on to answer q questions like ‘Is he defeated yet?’ until thee effects of thiss limit ability end. n awe‐inspiring g ability that leesser mages ca an only dream of, the Time M Mage actually ccreates a With an dimensiona al vortex that a allows them to o travel backwa ards through thhe timestream m. Upon activvating Rewind aas a Slow actio on for two poin nts of Destiny, tthe character aand his allies ccan travel backwards in time; the e group will arrive at the sam me geographic location they’rre currently at,, merely earlier. Because of tthe imprecise n nature of Rewiind, successful Lore checks are highly recom mmended for llonger leaps baackwards. Such h checks help p ensure the party winds up in time to intercept the noteeworthy eventss such as coron nations, deaths of important individuals, or other significaant activities. es have learned d that the future is stubborn and refuses too change – it caannot be used to ‘re‐do’ events Time Mage that happe ened in the mage’s recent past, such as hop ping for a differrent outcome from a decisive battle. Insteaad, Rewind is b best used to alter events thatt occurred furtther back in thee world’s or paarty’s history, ssuch as saving a PC’s older sisterr from a myste erious illness du uring their childhood, or stow wing a key to aa jail cell beneaath the cobblesstones when an im mportant prison was first being constructed d. The GM is thhe ultimate jud dge of what wo ould be an acceptable e use of Rewind d. When the p party has eithe er accomplishe ed or failed to aaccomplish theeir intended go oal, they are reeturned to the present ‐ th hough generally with noticeaable difference es caused by thheir meddling aand alterationss. owing preciselyy when and wh here a major d disaster will occcur in the futurre, the character is capable of of By kno linking the two locations and times via a shuddering p portal. With th e disaster virtuually only seconds away, all …lest they find themselves dissintegrated in a a sudden flood d of enemies will undoubtedlyy be forced to fflee their fate… ma, or pulled tto the center off an exploding star. liquid magm The Time M Mage may now w cast the Doom msday spell forr no associatedd MP cost. Sincce using Catasttrophe often caauses massive an nd irreversible damage to the e local terrain, most Time Maages suggest ussing it only in tthe direst of circumstan nces. 86 WAR RRIO OR 戦士 e war for enterrtainment, others, because they have to. Soome are Some wage makes even hunte ed for their skills, leading to aa rigorous lifestyle that only m the champion of battle sttronger. Bloodshed has beco ome a way of liffe ny escape. In th his way the Waarrior is a comb batant withoutt roots without an or restrictio ons, with incarrnations rangin ng from grizzled soldiers to optimistic m mercenaries, ffrom steel‐clad d knights to feral, club‐swingi ng barbarians. Though manyy have perfecte ed a single tale ent or spent a llifetime h a particular type of weapon n, for most Waarriors, honing their abilities with their training ground is th he battlefield, and their skillss are mastered by virtue of ne ecessity and raaw survival. An experienced W Warrior is a formidable e presence in any combat situ uation, able to adapt to anythhing their foes ccan throw at th hem. Embracing their abilities and constantlyy improving, th he Warrior has he kind that legends are born n from. Whethher become a ttrue soldier ‐ th they're figh hting to protecct themselves, to protect others, or just for r the hell of it, no maatter where a W Warrior goes, sstories follow. Even through the divvinitive powers of magic, it remains iimpossible to kknow what thee future holds for th he heroes of ou ur time. Some m may start or end warrs, seek their fo ortunes, find reedemption, and discoveer true love in the most unlikkely of places. Ma any Warriors, h however, believve these fates belon ng to other cha ampions and no ot to them; theirr true calling iss as obvious as the weapon they grasp in theeir hand. Whenever Destiny is awaarded to the paarty for Warrior defeating aa Boss or major enemy, the W receives on ne additional p point automaticcally. HP Bonus: MP Bonus: ACC Bonus: AVD Bonus: Skill Points: Weapons: Armor: 18 0 3 5 18 Blade, Brawl,, Concealed, Hugge, Ranged, Reacch Light, Medium m, Heavy, Shield ds ned Warrior leearns to preparre themself for combat at anyy and every oppportunity; accordingly, when n the A train time for ba attle arrives, yo ou are always a amongst the firrst to strike a bblow. After obtaining this ability, the characte er may always act in a Pre‐em mptive round o of combat befo ore battle actually e Warrior may make an imme ediate physicall Counterattack whenever th hey take damagge in a begins. Furrthermore, the Pre‐Emptivve Round. 87 body is temperred and extrem mely resistant to o pain, giving yyou the ability to shrug off atttacks and wad de Your b through ho ordes of enemiees. Until the ad drenaline fadess, a few nicks aand minor injurries can’t distrract you. Whenever you would takke damage from m a Critical Hit or a Limit Bre ak caused by aan enemy, you may make an orce check agaainst your attaccker. If you are e successful, thhe attack deals no damage an nd has no effecct. opposed Fo In addition, whenever en nemies outnum mber the Warrior and his con scious allies, yyou may summon reserves off inner o receive the efffects of Auto‐Regen as an In nstant action. TThis effect lastss until the enemies no longer strength to outnumber the party. our dues on thee front lines of war and the leessons that were drilled into yyou there chan nged You’ve paid yo now firsthand tthe values of fllexibility, strateegy, and know w how to turn w wimps into MEN N, women into o you. You kn AMAZONS,, and your enem mies into foul‐smelling smea ars. The Warrio or is familiar with a handful o of passive comb bat styles that grant various combat bonusses. You may on nly be in one P Paradigm stancce at a time. W When you changge stances, you u lose access to o all of the ben nefits offered by your former paradigm, and iinstead gain acccess to all of tthe benefits offfered by the new one. The first hange stances in combat you u may do so as an Instant acttion, but all parradigm shifts b beyond that require time you ch a Standard action instead d. ng this job ability, you may ch hoose any three of the follow wing stances th he character peermanently gaiins Upon takin access to. o: You fight withh militaristic preecision, you neveer lose your com mposure even whhen staring direcctly into the gap ping Commando abyssal maw w of evil, and you u never…ever…m miss. When in Co ommando stancce, the Fighter annd all his allies receive a +1 bonus to their ACC scores, and whene ever the Warrior spends Destinyy to add one dicce to an accuracyy roll, two dice aare added insteaad. Ravager: Your style draws on the strength of heroes long ssince deceased. Your weapon flashes like lightnning as you sunder through arm mor, carapace an nd bone alike. All of your attackss deal an additioonal (Finesse x Half Level) pointss of magical dam mage whenever yo ou harm your op pponent, whether through a phyysical attack or aa spell. The addiitional damage ffrom Ravager ign nores the effects o of M.ARM and Shell. Sentinel: This flexible stylee allows you to bbetter take a hit and keep on com min’, taking the punishment instead of seeing yyour vulnerable aallies suffer. The Warrior passive ely receives a bo onus to his ARM and M.ARM scoores equal to (Leevel x 2). Furtherrmore, when the Prrovoke job ability is used in this stance, it now laasts until combaat ends instead oof only four roun nds. Synergist: A Warrior in this A s stance excels aat coordinating w with his comradees‐in‐arms. Wheenever the Warrrior participates in a failed Teamw work attack while in this stance,, only the Warrio or’s attack is losst and nullified; hhis ally still dealss damage as norrmal. Medic: Youu’ve spent enouggh time on the bbattlefield that you know how too staunch, stitch and set an injurry, and a Warrioor in the Medic sttance may cast tthe Life spell witth no associated MP cost as a Sloow action, returrning a fallen allyy to one hit poin nt. Saboteur: You focus on inc Y capacitating your enemies with status effects, kknowing that an enemy who can n’t fight back is aas good as a defeate ed one. While in this stance, you u may target one e enemy and maake an opposed FForce roll as a Sllow action or whenever yo ou land a Criticaal Hit. If you are ssuccessful, that enemy loses thee Impervious ability until the staart of their next turn. n your body is in, and indeedd find an inner p peace through h You have trained to fight no matteer the condition Pain just means you’re still allive. suffering. P When affliccted with any n negative statuss effect the Waarrior’s damagge is increased by one step ‐ iif an attack waas to do (PWR x 1) points of daamage, it would now do (PWR x 2) instead, and so on. he damage ste p by one each time. Trauma maay be taken up to three timess, increasing th 88 world dominatiion on their miinds ‐ but if theey want the wo orld, they'll havve to There will always bee villains with w go through h you. Through th he choice use o of a few taunts as an Instant aaction once peer combat, the Warrior can sttir an enemy in nto a rage. The target of Provo oke will change e tactics specifically attack thee character forr 4 rounds or u until the Warrio or is us/defeated. TThere is no resttriction in how the target cann do this, but aall offensive atttacks must eith her be Unconsciou directed att the Warrior, o or include the W Warrior amongg the targets. IIf the Warrior ccannot be targgeted or damagged, the enemy may attack fre eely, but will co ontinue to go aafter the Warrrior if the oppo ortunity presen nts itself. battle cry can b be heard for miles around, a powerful shouut that gets youur blood pumping and spurs o on Your b faltering alllies. The characcter bellows a loud war cry ass a Slow action n, which grantss the Warrior and all his alliess the effects off Haste until the end of the e round. Furthermore, all dam mage they deaal until the end d of the round is increased byy one step. Mad Rush may be u used once per ggame session. ur rage and usee it as a weapoon, becoming aa hardened com mbatant without You have managed to harness you peer when you give into tthe animalisticc rage that churns in your souul. uced to 50% HP P or less, the W Warrior may ch hoose to autom matically gain the Berserk status until the en nd of When redu the currentt combat or un ntil the charactter falls Unconscious. After obtaining this ability, the Warrior is not limited to only makingg Attack action ns when underr the effects of d can also use Job Abilities. H However, he sttill may not casst spells, use an ny non‐combat skills or the Berserk and Defend acttion, and must remain fightin ng until all foess lie defeated. FFurthermore, w while Berserk, the Warrior is Immune to o the Charm, Feear, and Sleep status effects, he receives a +2 bonus to alll Force checkss, and, like all Berserk com mbatants, he iggnores 50% off his opponentss’ ARM scores.. powerful that th hey crack whatever crude toool your opponeents use to block with. One h heavy Your sstrikes are so p blow can sp plinter such infferior weaponss as if they werre no more durrable than glasss. You may m make an oppose ed Force checkk against one adversary as a SStandard actio on or in place o of a physical Counteratttack; if successful, all of their equipped weaapons are desttroyed. This ab bility may only be attempted once per combat and weaponss with the Inde estructible prop perty can’t be broken with th his attack. ngth and accurracy, you bringg your blade too bear against each enemy in n turn In a flawless displayy of speed, stren and harry ttheir attempts to flee. By activatin ng Cyclone as aan Instant actio on, your next p physical attackk will deal half normal damagge but will targget all enemies w within a Short R Range. Any ene emy who sufferrs damage from m Cyclone mayy not attempt tto Escape com mbat while the W Warrior remain ns conscious an nd able to batttle. 89 gh the name is unassuming, a a Warrior with this ability cann do more thann just block inccoming attackss; they Thoug can cleave spheres of ma agical flame in two, knock asiide arrows in m mid‐flight, and deflect city‐razzing lasers with h the de of a silver sp poon. rounded sid The Warrio or is always tre eated as being under the effe ects of the Walll spell, able to block projectiles or slice a saafe path through a burst of m magic. If the ch haracter ever sh hows a momennt of distress b by willingly and d intentionally way from his tarrget, attemptin ng to create sp pace between tthem, the effects of Parry are lost until thee end moving aw of combat. n lives are on th he line you mayy stress your w weapons nearlyy to the breakinng point in ord der to perform When devastating g physical atta acks. By declarin ng the use of Bo onecrusher as a Slow action once per combbat, your next short‐range atttack will be a frighteninggly powerful sw wing and treate ed as an autom matic critical hitt if successful, activating weaapon propertiees and even activaating limit breaaks if applicable. If the Boneccrusher attack misses or otheerwise deals no o damage, you ur equipped w weapon is imm mediately destrroyed. If the we eapon used is IIndestructible, the Warrior im mmediately suffers damage eq qual to 50% of his maximum hit points as th he powerful strrike reverberattes throughout his body and damages him instead, and he is immediately disarmed in whatever way the GM d deems approprriate. hrough the eneemy group and d raining a haill of blows uponn them, the lasst thing your fo oes By cleeaving a path th will ever kn now is a storm of physical desstruction. Meteorain is a Standard aaction usable o once per sessio on which causees the Warrior to strike each enemy once in manner he cho ooses – whethe er this is repressented as a bu rst of sonic energy erupting from the tip off a whatever m sword, a w wild charge thro ough the rankss, simply the firrst of many perrfectly‐executeed strikes. How wever, the Warrrior may choose to spend anyy amount of De estiny to ampliify the effect. ese attacks deaals ((Force + Fin nesse) x Twice Level) points oof M.ARM or A ARM damage (W Warrior’s choice), Each of the striking all enemies autom matically. After the attack resolves, the Waarrior may choo ose to expend one point of order to repeaat this process. There is no lim mit to the num mber of times th he Warrior may attack in thee same Destiny in o Standard action by expen nding multiple destiny in this way. 90 WHIT W TE MA AGE E 白魔道士 白 moment their ttraining begins, White Magess are taught to be From the m peaceful, h humble, and kin nd. No matter the road that lies ahead of t hem, these virtues are taught tto be the mostt important things in the worrld. enders of life are capable of u using their spellcraft to knit t ogether These defe wounded fflesh or create glowing defen nsive charms arround their alliies. Given time e and experiencce, White Magges can cure alm most any ill, raaise the fallen backk to fighting strength, or even n create barriers utterly impeervious to physical damage. patient in deme eanor than the e headstrong, ttemperamentaal Far more p Black Mage e, these dedicaated healers haave given theirr entire life to working wiith – not maste ering – the pow wers of Holy. Don’t worry. I’ll havee you fixed up in no time. ble of using and d The White Mage is capab ng items in administerring obscure saalves and healin conjunction with their wh hite magic, able to tend to nce battle has ended. their comraades quickly on Whenever combat ends w with the White e Mage still conscious, the entire partty may recover 100% of mum HP. their maxim HP Bonus:: MP Bonuss: ACC Bonuss: AVD Bonuss: Skill Pointss: 16 6 0 4 22 Spell Rank Novice Intermediate Expert Superior Ancient Levels Obtain ned 1, 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6 7, 8, 9 10, 11, 12 13, 15 Weaponss: Armor: Magic Schoool: Arcane, H Huge Light White healer is no eassy feat; all too many White M Mages have waatched their speells fizzle when n their Being a battlefield h g more of allies need it most. To thiis end, they have learned metthods to empoower their maggicks by putting themselvess into their spells. Whenever a spell would be interrupted d due to a knocckback, limit brreak, critical hiit, or teamwork attack, you m may P cost for the sspell a second ttime. If you choose to do so yyou may continue casting un ninterrupted an nd the pay the MP spell is not cancelled. You have been trained in the use o of shields in add dition to your bbasic magical eeducation. ess to the Shiel d armor type rregardless of th heir chosen Job. Upon gaining this job ability, the characcter gains acce 91 ng one’s allies alive and kickiing while an arrmy of undead bears rushes ttowards them is a full‐time Jo ob; Keepin White Mag ges who like deevoting less tim me to healing – – or who know they’ll need thhe extra powerr in a pinch – piick up this ability to give their sp pells a little exttra oomph. next healing sp ell is imbued w with far more p potency than Activating Divine Seal takkes a Standard Action; your n ealing it provid des by two step ps. For examplee, if it was to h heal all allies fo or (MND x 2) hiit normal, inccreasing the he points, (MN ND x 4) would be restored instead. In addittion, your next t Cure, Cura, Cu uraga, Curaja o or Esuna spell m may be cast as aan Instant actio on at any time, even if it isn’tt your turn. Thhis job ability m may be used on nce per session n. White Mage is w welcomed with h open arms wh herever they m may travel, andd their pleas to be heard are The W enough to give pause to eeven the coldest hearts – eveen the most vilee of individualss know that W White Mages ha ave masses at hearrt. the best intterests of the m You may ad dd a bonus equ ual to half of your Healing skill to your Inquuiry and Negotiate skill checkks. heir mind and sspirit pure, thee lifestream conntinues to flow w into the chara acter, rejuvena ating Simplyy by keeping th them with magical energ gies. m magic pointss back passively and the end of each combaat. The White Mage recovers 25% of their total maximum Upon partaaking in Travel Rest, the Whitte Mage also regains 100% oof their MP insttead of the norrmal value. If this ability is taken a second ttime, the White Mage restores 100% of theeir maximum M MP at the end of each encounter instead. houlder your friiend’s burden b by placing a ha and on their brrow, purging alll thoughts of w weakness from m their You sh mind with a simple prayeer. White Mage may lay a hand u upon a willing ally within a Short Range and d cleanse them m of As an Instant action the W any single n negative status effect. Howe ever, the negative effect is appplied to the usser of Sacrificee instead. Sacrifice automaticaally fails if the u user is immune e to the status effect in quesstion. wers of white m magic You prefer to smite your foes insttead of makingg a fuss over tinny scrapes, using the full pow est of evil creattures to their kknees. to bring evven the stronge All spells an nd attacks thatt deal Holy or W Wind damage now deal one increased step p of damage; iff such attacks w were to inflict (P PWR x 1) pointss of damage, th hey would now w do (PWR x 2)) instead, and sso on. This ability may be taken up to three tim mes, increasingg the damage step by one eaach time. 92 now that your patient undersstanding and sselflessness isnn’t for nothing; by remaining altruistic and ccalm You kn throughout your adventu ures, you leave a lasting imprression that eveen begins to innspire your alliees. e party begins tto discover a sstrength and un nity they didn’t know they haad. Thanks to tthe character’ss guidance, the The White Mage can emp power her allie es by spending 2 points of Deestiny at any time; the characcter and all party heir choice. members tthen receive a permanent +1 bonus to any two different aattributes of th our touch, artissts feel the ting gle of inspiratioon when you paass, and when you actually sspeak Floweers bloom at yo the benison ns to summon fforth white ma agic to heal someone, they’vve begun to feeel better even b before you’ve finished channeling magiic. The fact tha at you’re less likke a conduit foor holy magic, aand more like a an overflowing g allowing you to o quickly aid yo our wounded frriends. reservoir, a Whenever you begin castting a single‐taarget White Maagic spell on ann ally, your target may instan ntly regain HP eequal m health. This b bonus HP recovvery is grantedd immediately, not when the spell actually to 25% of yyour maximum resolves. nce, Your sstern words of reproach causse even the most evil beasts tto hesitate andd pause in theirr violent advan feeling the awkward stirrrings of regret. Your admonisshment means they won’t doo anything you wouldn’t apprrove bly. of….probab As a Slow aaction you mayy give a good sccolding to the nasty monsterrs intent on rip pping your alliees to shreds. Taarget one enemyy, then make a Negotiation check opposed by their Finessse check. If succcessful, the taarget is consideered to be ‘Scold ded’. A White Mage can also ch hoose to affectt all targets in the targeted G Group instead o of just a singlee target by taking a ‐4 penalty tto their Negotiation roll, as ggiving non‐speccific talking‐toss are rarely as effective. Whenever the GM wishes to take an acction with a Sco olded enemy, he must inform m the White M Mage of what th he ws agape, but sseems monster intends to do – tthis might be tthrough body language (“Thee dragon lungees forward, jaw to pause ju ust before closing down on yo ou as if searchiing for approvaal to use his Viccious Bite atta ack.”) or througgh more direcct description. (“The ghast heesitates mid‐inccantation, befoore hissing outt an embarrasssed ‘Er…would d a Firaga spelll be alright?’””) Then, the Wh hite Mage mayy choose to eitther approve o of the action orr deny it. If the White Magge informs the GM that action is not okay, tthe monster m may still go thro ough with it…b but suffers from m the effects of P Power Break an nd Magic Break until the begginning of its neext turn as thee uncertainty becomes overwhelm ming. Alternativvely, the monster may insteaad choose any oother spell or aattack it posseesses and use that with no penalty. d last until the end of combatt, and Notoriouus Monsters an nd Bosses mayy expend one p point The effectss of Reprimand of Destiny to end the effe ects of Reprimand and rende er themselves iimmune to furrther uses of th his ability. onuses to the N Negotiation rolll if it is role‐played especiallyy well. GMs may cchoose to grant additional bo 93 ng into an imm mense reservoirr of Holy energ gy, the White M Mage becomess a living condu uit for healing Tappin energy. A ssymphony of beeautiful, otherworldly music resonates acrooss the battlefiield, and the W White Mage’s b body glows with an astral bluee‐white light. Fo or a moment, o one might evenn be able to seee a pair of sem mi‐translucent wings outward from the mage’s sho oulders. spreading o Benediction is an Instant action that costs 3 points of Destiny. Uponn use, the HP o of every conscious party mem mber maximum, and all negative staatus effects aree removed. Un nconscious chaaracters are revvived is instantly returned to m with 1 hp instead. This Ep pic Ability may be used at anyy time, even w when it isn’t thee White Mage’’s turn. Furthermore, Benediction may even be e used when th he White Magee is unconsciou us. White Mage lea ads a charmed life, avoiding h harm in mundaane, day‐to‐daay activities witth unsurprising g The W alacrity. Th his same quiet p protection can n also be extend ded to the Wh ite Mage’s alliies to protect them from distressing failure. The White Mage and eacch of their party members maay reroll one skkill check per ssession. Blessed Existence cannot matic failures from such things as a Gamblerr’s Bad Luck. be used to negate autom one!” “Lightt shine strong, our woes bego The characcter gains accesss to the follow wing spell. MP) Esuna (1 M Target: Single overy Type: Reco Reflectablee A standard d spell in almosst every healer’’s repertoire, EEsuna fully cleaanses the targeet of all negativve status effeccts, with the exxception of Unconsciousness and the counttdown caused by the ‘Doomssday’ and ‘Lv.?? Doom’ spells.. Particularlyy powerful maggical effects, su uch as eons‐long Petrificationn, or bloodlinee curses are ou utside the poweers of this spell. A At the GM’s disscretion, Esunaa may also rem move the ongoiing effects of o other unhelpfu ul spells, such aas Melt, Addle e, Time Slip, orr Gravity. A character at 25% health h or less may ccast this spell aas an Instant acction instead. 94 CH HAPT TER III: I DEFIN D NING GAH HERO “It’s not th he net result th hat matters, it’s the day-to-day y struggles peo ople go through h that makes on ne’s life importtant.” - Te erra Branford Although h having a name and a Job is a ggreat start for a character, thhis chapter will explore how yyou can furtheer develop yo our hero’s uniqueness througgh skills and qu uirks – and get some great bo onuses along th he way. We’ll start with Shared A Abilities. These are Abilities th hat every charaacter has accesss to regardlesss of their chossen ollow all the usual rules. Job, and fo neys by a faithfful animal, succh as a trained dog or a choco obo, or someth hing You arre accompanieed in your journ more exotiic such as a you ung cactuar, an n absentmindeed pixie, or a hoorde of mind‐liinked machinees. An animal companion is aa tagalong creaature that provvides various bbonuses while being small, aggile, or thick‐skkinned urt in combat. They are versaatile and skilledd, able to follow w simple instructions and relay enough to avoid being hu n never be perrsuaded to act in any information to their owner nonverballyy. The companiion is loyal enoough that it can e PC. If the ow wner controllingg an Animal Co ompanion is reduced to 0 HP or way contraary to the direcct wishes of the otherwise incapacitated, it will generally not act until its owner has been revived. o special trickss from the list b below to impro ove your Anim al Companion. Throughout tthe game, yourr pet Choose two may learn additional trickks and talents at the GM’s discretion. Bonded: Booth you and youur companion aree of shared mindd; you have an uunderstanding thhat far exceeds intuition. You reeceive a +2 bonus tto Nature skill ch hecks when your companion is aacting as the moount, and you ass a player can choose to take con ntrol of your anim mal companion in non‐combat siituations. Flying: The Animal Compannion has wings oor the ability to ssoar under its ow wn power and gaains Flight. Depeending on the creature’s siize and relative sstrength, they caan carry one or more people alooft when acting as a mount. Skilled: Thee Animal Companion has a certaain talent that coomes in handy foor its owner – a monkey trainedd in Stealth, for instance, maakes an ideal picck‐pocketing acccomplice with a b budding Thief. CChoose one skill – once per game session, the player may grant a bonus 1d6 whe en any player rolls this skill, than nks to the helpfuul companion lennding a hand/paaw/claw/fin/etc. Talkative: The Animal Com T mpanion is capab ble of understanding the same laanguages your ccharacter does, aand can respond d with sign languagge, meaningful sounds, or body language. Often n, this allows for animal compannions to get inforrmation to and ffrom NPCs when their owner isn’t around to help p. Cheer: The companion is oddly comfortingg when things seem dire, and cann provide encouuragement even in the face of ns a +4 bonus on n the next roll m ade after suffering a Complicatiion. overwhelming adversity. The character gain Search: Thee Animal Compaanion is constanttly sniffing arounnd for usable iteems. After defeating a Notoriouss Monster or a BBoss, a character th hat has an Animaal Companion with the Search taalent gains one ffree Item of the GM’s choice, with a value or ussage appropriate to the character's current Level. This does not reduce any otheer item rewards the character obtains. Aggressive e: The companioon is able to helpp its master in coombat by spittingg poison, breathhing small boutss of flame, tramppling, pecking, or o other such abilitties. Smart owne ers take the time e to learn how too fight alongsidee their companio on, aiding one another to help defe eat even the mosst dangerous of monsters. When the Aggressive talent is taken, choose e whether the attack will deal A ARM or M.ARM ddamage, and wh hether it will be o of a certain elem mental type; Ice, Wind, Thunder,, Earth, Water, o or non‐elementaal. Then choose oone of the follow wing status effeccts; Berserk, Blin nd, Confuse, Tran nsform, Poison, Curse, Sleep, Sto op, or Zombie. TThe attack deals (Owner’s Highesst Attribute x Naature skill) + 2d6 p points of damage e automatically. The animal com mpanion’s owne r and the targett may then makee opposed rolls –– if the player wins, the target is affflicted with the cchosen status efffect for one rouund. ng your animal co ompanion to perform the attackk is a standard aaction usable oncce per combat. If this trick is takken Commandin additional times you may co onstruct more tyypes of attacks to add to your peet’s arsenal, butt it may still onlyy be commanded d to attack once per combat. Rejuvenatiing: The creaturre is able to assisst the party by bbolstering their sspirits with an am musing display, by using a small amount of w white magic, or just calling out w with encouragingg noises. You maay command youur companion to o use this healing power as a SStandard action once each comb bat; it removes o one negative staatus effect and rrestores (Owner’’s Highest Attrib bute x Half Nature skill) + 2d6 poin nts of HP or MP, chosen when th his talent is takenn, to one target of your choice. 95 gically bent pieece of wire is uuntil they’re sta aring at the insside of Most people never rrealize how valluable a strateg his philosophy, you have an oodd or an end ffor every situattion. a locked prrison door. In kkeeping with th You can ‘co onjure up’ mun ndane items, no questions assked, provided said items aree small enough h for your charaacter to be carryying around. Evven if they have e no logical reaason to be hauuling around arrmor polish, teen feet of rope or invisible ink, the rest of the party can re est assured it’ll be there wheen they need itt the most. Theese items grantt no onus to skill ch hecks, cannot b be sold or equipped as Armo r, and are all trreated as imprrobable weapo ons if inherent bo used in com mbat, but just having such ite ems can often turn Godlike oor Impossible cchecks into som mething more manageable. an sprint acrosss the surface o of water and ba alance on the bblade of a swoord. You ca This multip purpose shared d ability allows for almost com mplete freedo m of movement, ignoring graavity and physsics for sheer mobility. Your charracter no longe er takes damagge from jumpinng or falling, no o matter the distance (witho out P in damage, and a this ability,, falling from a Medium Rangge causes the ccharacter to ta ke 50% of their maximum HP Long Range e is immediate e unconsciousn ness). You also gain a +2 bonuus to Athletics skill checks, heelping you (eventuallyy!) run directly up sheer, verttical cliffs, or le eap from fallingg object to falling object even if they’re hundreds o of feet apart. aking out walls,, objects, anyth hing that gets in your way. You’ree capable of ta When makking a Force che eck specificallyy to destroy an n object or equ ipment (and n not as part of a resistance roll to avoid a status effect or siimilar), the chaaracter always receives a +4 bbonus to their roll. pting ot into the gro ound hard enou ugh that a loosse floorboard w was knocked up pward, intercep She slammed her foo all three off the deadly pro ojectiles in mid d‐flight, accompanied by a saatisfying soundd of thunk‐thun nk‐thunk. By th he time the m makeshift shield d landed uncereemoniously on the ground, thhe would‐be asssassin had alrready turned ta ail and fled. nstant action, e even when it issn’t your turn, you may descrribe a combat stunt your chaaracter Once per session as an In mage from an attack. Doing so grants a +2 bonus to one performs that would aid you or an ally in avoiding dam VD for one attack. target’s AV “Stick with me, kid.. I grew up in sslums just like tthis…” Some indivviduals have ho oned their skills and combat capabilities in one particularr environment,, whether from m simple fam miliarity or some other reason n entirely. Upon taking Favorred Terrain, cho oose one of th he following eleeven locales; Plaains, Town, Forrest, Mountain ns, Desert, Swamp, Water, Unnderground, Sn now, Lava, or C Cosmic. The character rreceives a +2 bonus to all skill checks, oppo osed rolls and aattack rolls while in this envirronment. 96 nd adventuring g life before settting off on youur wild adventture, and you’vve got You leearned the basics of battle an have a few w basic and welll‐practiced ma aneuvers at you ur disposal beccause of it. The characcter has access to all three off the bonuses aand moves beloow. Throw Ston ne: The characcter hurls a small rock at one enemy once pper session, ho oping to get theeir attention fo or a moment. B But even the m most well‐intenttioned acts ten nd to have connsequences. Ass a Standard acction once per combat, th he character may automatically bean an ene emy with a rocck for 1d6 poin nts of damage, ignoring ARM and other typess of damage re eduction. The e enemy is autom matically Stunnned for one rou und if they’re ssusceptible to the status effect. However, u until the end off the current co ombat, the tarrgeted causes ccritical hits on rolls of 10‐12 w when er of this abilityy. inflicting haarm to the use Flee: Some e might call you u a coward; your lips tremble e at danger andd your eyes filll with uncontro ollable tears w when the odds are against you.. But you firmlyy believe that e escape is alwaays an option, aand when you turn tail and run, elp lead your friends to safetyy. You and your allies receivee a +2 bonus to o their Escape sskill checks wh hen you can he attemptingg to Run Away in combat. The e effects of Fle ee stack if multtiple allies havee the Fundameents ability. Room and Board: You did dn’t come from m a glamorous lifestyle, but tthat’s okay; you made friends in low placess and ways a room at the Inn set asiide for you. You may always ttake a Full Resst when in a maajor city regard dless there’s alw of circumsttance, and inn stays are gene erally free for yyou and your aallies. argue over whiich school of m magic is more usseful – the desstructive powerr of Black, the Many mages a upport of Whitee, the unique in ntensities of Bllue, or the indisspensable mannipulation of Ti Time. But all ag gree peerless su on one poin nt ‐ that none can compare tto the near‐limitless potentia l of Summoninng. You possesss a supernaturral pact with a Summoned crreature ‐ it migght have taken the party und der its wing for reasons un nknown, or manifest due to b being spirituallyy tied to an agees‐old memen nto in the charaacter’s possesssion, or anythingg else the playe er can dream u up! The Esper cchosen by Gra nd Summonerr may be a Partty Esper or an Individual Esper, a decision made by th he character when taking thiss ability – see p p.114 for moree information o on the must be level 4 4+ to pick a Ran nk 2 Esper to aaccompany theem, level 8+ to choose a Rankk 3 difference. A character m creature, and level 12+ to o obtain a Rank 4 Esper. This ability may be taken multiple timess, gaining an additional Espe r as an ally eacch time. ame from a lifee of luxury, or p perhaps you juust possess an iitem handed d down througho out the Maybe you ca ns. Either way, you have a cerrtain treasure tthat serves as aa keepsake froom your upbrin nging. generation The characcter gains any w weapon, armor, shield, comp ponent or graftt with a Tier eq qual to (Half Leevel + 1), for no o associated cost. For exam mple, a level 1 ccharacter migh ht own a Tier 22 sword passed d down from faather to daugh hter. A bequeathed un nto level 9 character might find themselvess in sudden posssession of a TTier 5 bejeweleed neckpiece, b bling debts. them to paay for old gamb Heirloom ccannot grant a character Tier 8 equipment. 97 ome things you u won’t stand ffor. There’s just so ed ability, workk with your GM M to come up w with a few diffeerent scenario os that would in nvoke When you take this share ur character – ssuch as someoone striking a cchild, the preseence of a poweerful feelings of extreme anger or fear in you uch. Once during demon, your Special Vehicle being attacked, or an enemy using thatt nickname you loathe so mu e session in which one of thesse outlined sce enarios occurs,, your characteer may respond d by using any Limit each game Break theyy know as a Standard action o on their turn. TThey may activ ate this uniquee move regardless of their cu urrent hit points aand without sp pending Destinyy. If your character is a natu urally furious sort, the eventss that drive theem over the ed dge would have to be eme, such as th he death of a ccompanion or aa bad guy layin ng a hand on a family membeer appropriately more extre mit Break wheen this job ability triggers, theey may choosee to And finally,, if the charactter doesn’t actually have a Lim gain the effects of Auto‐H Haste for one rround and a +4 4 bonus to theiir next roll insttead. GMs are en ncouraged to w watch out for sscenarios that ccould be triggeered by the chaaracter’s comp panions, allowiing the charactter to use staggeringly‐powe erful Limit Breaaks whenever itt would be app propriate. “Onion Knight” is a title besstowed on thosse heroes who ffight for what is right despitee the many settbacks h heroes get too know who thhey truly are. So o the saying go oes, of the worlld; poverty, desspair, failure. In this way such they “peel away each layyer, crying all th he way.” Altho ough it might nnot sound like ssomething to a aspire to, for m many, an Onion Knigh ht isn’t a choicee. These are th he individuals w who have yet too decide their ffuture; squiress, becoming a children an nd normal peop ple sucked into o a world of dan nger against thheir wishes. Buut by dabbling in many differrent jobs, they ccan eventually forge their ow wn unique path. Whenever the character defeats a Bosss‐type enemy, they may perfform a Job Change without any associated ccost nts of Destiny tto be spent). (normally, a Job Change rrequires 3 poin ossess a reperttoire of useful abilities and ta alents, known ffor great proficciency in one o or more fields o of You po study, syntthesis, or even simply a naturral flair for the physical. Upon takin ng this ability, tthe character rreceives an add ditional 5 skill ppoints to distriibute anywherre she sees fit. Skill points do n not have to be spent immediately. Furtherm more, the max imum numberr of points you can have in an ny skill is now limited by your (Fiinesse + 3) insttead of your (FFinesse + 1). dditional skill ppoints and incrreasing the cap p by two each ttime. This ability may be taken multiple timess, granting 5 ad not easy being this popular, you know. Hang g on to somethhing,” the gam mbler shouted fr from the helm o of the “It’s n airship, turrning the wood den wheel hard d to one side. TThe engines roaared loud enouugh you could sswear the floorboardss were almost shaking loose as the sails cattch the wind annd the ship beggins a hard verrtical climb… The characcter is the prou ud owner of an airship, land vvehicle, drillingg machine, cybernetic armor system or the like, which allow ws for speed and/or maneuvverability across different typpes of terrain. TThough there aare exceptions, the vehicle is ggenerally big en nough to carry the character and his entire party, plus on ne or two extraa comfortably. Work with your G GM to describe e a vehicle and d define whether it is designeed to travel excclusively on lan nd, sail across w water, 98 soar through the air, dig through rock and stone, or travel beneath the ocean waves. Then, choose two extra properties from the list below that your vehicle possesses. If forced into a combat situation, a Special Vehicle has the same ARM and MARM values as the character that took the ability, and 50% of that character’s maximum hit points. Enemies can still target the pilot of the vehicle, but at a ‐4 penalty to hit due to their added speed and protection granted by the vessel. When a Special Vehicle is reduced to 0 hit points it is unable to function (and often crashes), and can only be repaired after a sufficient amount of time has passed with a Synthesis (Tinkering) or Systems skill at an appropriate difficulty. The GM may even rule this repair requires special parts. Although your special vehicle only begins play with two of the qualities from the list below, you may obtain more as the game progresses – finding or purchasing new parts, getting a tune‐up or a nifty paint job through an appropriately high skill check, and so on. This is always at the GM’s discretion. Superior Handling: This unique quality may be taken multiple times, and should be considered a key attribute to consider when building your ride. Superior Handling grants the pilot a +2 bonus to their Vehicles skill check, and this special property helps a vehicle go from slow and steady to blazingly fast and maneuverable. Power Source: The vehicle is powered by a unique or renewable power source and is entirely self‐sufficient. Whether it be through hot air, solar power, sheer willpower or a Crystal core, the vehicle never needs to land and/or refuel. Smuggler’s Hold: The vehicle is outfitted with hidden compartments, granting all characters a +6 bonus to Stealth checks to hide objects or people (or themselves) aboard it. Iconic: This quality represents your vehicle is associated with certain connotations, and provide a +2 bonus on Negotiation rolls in which the image would be an asset ‐ whether you're a state senator making a grand entrance, or raising the pirate flag high, your vehicle helps achieve the desired effect. Iconic can be taken more than once, increasing the bonus by +2 each time. Unorthodox Travel: It's a fact of life ‐ airships can't usually sprout wheels, and motorcycles have trouble running in waist‐deep sand or water. This vehicular feature puts a stop to that; choose an additional movement type (land, sea, air, or underground); the vehicle can travel just as well in these conditions as it does normally. For example, an airship could drill through the earth’s crust or sink beneath the sea. Magic Touch: No other user than the initial owner is capable of utilizing the vehicle. Whether this is a case of security precautions or simply "Nobody else can fly this baby but ME!" is entirely up to the player. Good Night’s Sleep: The Special Vehicle has resting quarters or perhaps even a team of White Mages on standby to heal the party’s wounds. While aboard the vehicle, the party may take a Full Rest at any time. Stealthy: The Special Vehicle can shrink down to fit inside a pocket, activate cloaking devices to become invisible, produce clouds of billowing smoke or hydrophobic adhesive to mask an area, or it might simply masquerades as a stationary structure in plain sight. A Stealthy Special Vehicle can grant the Invisible status to itself and everyone aboard until it takes damage, at which point the benefits are lost. This can only be used once per session as a Standard action by the vessel’s driver. Weapon Systems: The vehicle is affixed with turrets, gigantic drills, cannons, world‐destroying lasers or the like. The passengers of the Special Vehicle may use these weapon systems to attack whilst in the vehicle, using their standard accuracy rolls. Weapon Systems deal (DEX x Half Level) points of physical ARM damage to all enemy targets within a Short Range, or M.ARM based Fire, Lightning, or non‐elemental damage to one enemy at up to a Long Range away, chosen when the Weapon Systems are first installed. Weapons Systems do double damage against other Special Vehicles. They may also have other additional features determined at the time of creation, such as being gigantic harpoon guns that allow passengers from your Special Vehicle to board an enemy ship. These Weapon Systems can never fire of their own accord – they must always be manned stations. Space Travel: The vehicle may now add one additional movement type to its repertoire, able to carry its passengers safely out into the darkness of space. It also comes equipped with a handful of special suits that allow heroes to move and breathe in low‐ gravity, atmosphere‐free locations. Be warned; exploring the cosmos is one of the more dangerous things an aspiring hero could possibly do. Colonies of horrific beasts have often settled on the moon, and even worse things drift aimlessly waiting for prey. Indestructible: The vehicle is nigh unbreakable, reinforced with special materials and carefully protected from harm. Magic and heavy weaponry barely even scratch the paint, and it could descend into an active volcano with no ill effects. In combat, the vehicle receives double the standard ARM and MARM values and if it is ever reduced to 0 hit points, the special vehicle is only rendered inoperational for the remainder of the game session. Unless it also possesses the Power Source feature, however, the vehicle still could run out of fuel. Throttle: Your vehicle is loaded with a special fuel source that you can ignite for a boost of speed, or you just know how to temporarily kick the engine into high gear when it matters most. You can declare that you’re using the Throttle perk once per game session to immediately give every PC aboard the vessel an additional turn. Fortress: A ‘Fortress’ vessel is often an imperial dreadnaught airship or something as extravagant as a floating island. This provides several bonuses; First, the vessel can now hold a nearly unlimited number of passengers. Secondly, individuals outside the Special Vehicle can no longer target anyone inside. 99 Finally, when a Fortress is re educed to 0 hit p point, it remainss operational andd does not crashh. Being damageed in this way insstead ws the attackers inside, where th hey can potentiaally disable the vvessel by taking out the enginess or simply attacking merely allow the PCs. At the GM’s discretion, takin ng a vehicle with h Fortress qualitty often providess a loyal crew off buccaneers, myystics, scientists, other individualss capable of help ping keep the th hing operational . soldiers, or o haracter has deeveloped a nattural immunityy to certain staatus effects. Whhether the resiistance is from a The ch supernaturral boon, causeed by prolonged exposure, seelf‐taught vigilaance or somethhing else entireely varies. Choose two o of the follow wing status effe ects ‐ Berserk, B Blind, Charm, CConfuse, Cursee, Fear, Petrify, Poison, Seal, SSleep, Slow, Stop,, Stun, Transform or Zombie ‐‐ the characterr is permanenttly Immune to their effects. TThis resistance will often exten nd past the obvious combat benefits and in nto other facetts of the characcter’s life; for eexample, a character w who is Immune e to Poison can n chomp down some toxic su bstances witho out ill effects, and is forever unable to b become intoxiccated. A fearless character is quick to devellop a local reputation. d a kinship with h another persson that extendds far past simpple camaraderrie. Perhaps yo ou are YYou have found fated loverrs, related rivalls, destined eneemies, inseparable siblings, oor eternal brothhers in arms. W Whatever the ccase, you are two sides to the ssame coin, cap pable of workin ng with – or aggainst – one annother phenom menally well. Th his p…whether enmity or amity… …grants you strrength when thhings seem theeir darkest. relationship Upon takin ng Twin Soul, choose anotherr character in the game, eitheer an NPC conttrolled by the G GM or anotherr PC. If you choose e an NPC, that character auto omatically rece eives the Twin Soul ability as well – if you choose a anoth her player’s character, the otther PC must taake this ability as well for it tto be of any use. This individu ual will hencefforth d to as a Partne er. You may on nly ever take th he Twin Soul a bility once, and d it grants all o of the followingg be referred bonuses: e capable of dooing so, you m may choose to p pay the MP cosst of Twin Spell: When your Partner casts a sspell, if you are ur Partner’s speell has its damage and healin ng increased byy two the spell ass an Instant acttion as well. If you do so, you steps, and the difficulty to resist any staatus effects it m may cause are increased by ++2. This MP exxpenditure cannot d by any meanss. be reduced Best of Frie ends: Even while under the e effects of Charm m or other stattus effects, you may choose not to attack yyour Partner at any time. If you make an attaack that deals damage to a raandom target and your Partn ner is the unluccky may choose to rre‐roll. one, you m Greatest of Enemies: You u deal an addittional two step ps of damage too your Partnerr at all times. FFor example, if an d do (PWR x 8)) instead. attack was to do (PWR x 6) points of daamage, it would e Stand: You an nd your Partne er have long sin nce mastered tthe fine art of ffighting back‐tto‐back, covering the United We other. Whe en making a Te eamwork Attacck with one ano other, either yyou or your parrtner (but not both) may re‐rroll one dice. We Fall: As the ultimate proo of of your linked destinies, it has been predetermined thaat your fates arre Together W linked. When death come es for you, perrmanently send ding your soul to the Farplanne, the other is fated to die w within ot a game mechanic that can be avoided th rough the normal means – rather, when one of the day as well. This is no the two characters sufferrs their final fate, the GM is fforced to concooct a situation that will lead tto the demise of the matter how unlikely it may se eem. other, no m There is, ho owever, a cave eat to this; eith her you or yourr partner may sspend Destinyy to Cheat Deatth when eitherr of you ‘die,’ thus protectingg both of your llives. 100 a great distancce to a strange land where yoour species is uunknown, or do o you even know Have you travelled a parents were? A Are you the lasst of your kind of the first of m many? Were yyou once a persson before a who your p mystical tra ansformation?? These are thee questions on eeveryone’s lipss as they see yoou pass, but th he real query iss always the first one that springs to theiir mind; What A ARE you? Choose fro om one of the ffollowing speciies; Aerial, Amorph, Arcana, A Aquan, Beast, Construct, Draagon, Fiend, In nsect, Plant, or Undead. You are e considered to o be a member of that speciees instead of H Humanoid. Theen, choose onee ermanent +2 b bonus to represent your speccies’ unnatural strength, beauty, grace, inteellect, attribute and grant it a pe automatically gget any of the oother major racial features o of the species –– such vitality, et ccetera. Although you don’t a as the Auto o‐Zombie statu us possessed by all Undead o or Flight for beiing an Aerial crreature – a goo od GM will also o try to work witth their playerrs to establish aany other mino or benefits or ddownsides thiss might impart. This might include the charactter no longer n needing to eat or drink, becoming a strict c arnivore, gainiing the ability tto hover, theirr Swimming skill not being limited by the eir Finesse scorre, allowing thee PC to treat a specific Abilityy as if it was on n their et cetera. This racial change aalso means you u no longer sufffer from the rracial vulnerab bility to Shadow w Job’s list, e damage that comes with being a Humaanoid. ely, you may ch hoose to remaiin as the same species, simplly much larger or smaller thaan the average Alternative citizen. ee feet in height, standing eyye‐to‐eye with a Moogle or p possibly even h having A tiny charracter is usuallyy less than thre to look up to one. They ggain a permane ent +1 bonus to o their AVD scoore, a +2 bonus to Stealth, an nd a here his or herr size could posssibly be advan ntageous. +1 bonus to all Force or FFinesse rolls wh d the 12‐foot m mark, and has ddifficulty usingg standard A huge chaaracter usually hovers around mounts, ve ehicles, and eve en fitting throu ugh most doorrways. They ga in a permanen nt +2 bonus to th heir PWR and R RES attributes,, but will foreve er suffer from a ‐1 penalty to o their AVD sscore. This job ability can be taken multiple e times. ne can swing a stick, but learning to take on n the armies off the empire Anyon or a horrific beast with th hat same stick takes considerrable time and dedication. dditional Weap pon categoriess or one additioonal Armor You gain acccess to two ad Category excluding shield d (so Light, Medium or Heavyy) regardless off your Job. 101 SKILLS "You think your skills will save you against me? Allow me to shatter your illusions of grandeur." - Amarant Coral Skills are highly important – they allow your character to act innocent under scrutiny, leap and scurry across rooftops and through hidden back alleys, know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em, ride a chocobo and a multitude of other things. Whether you intend for your character to spend his time managing the finances of a troupe of Moogle Entertainers, or piloting an airship with the other kind of troops hot on your proverbial heels, your skills will be what make the difference between success and failure. The maximum number of points you may have in any skill is equal to your Finesse stat, plus one. A character with 6 Finesse, for example, could therefore have skills at a +7 bonus but not higher. Characters receive two skill points at each level up. At the start of the game, a newly created character receives the number of skill points listed in their Job description. TaskDifficulty When a skill check is required, the GM assigns the task a difficulty from ‘Elementary’ to ‘Impossible,’ and informs the player. The player, now knowing his target number of the skill check, rolls 2d6 and adds their appropriate skill; if the result is equal to or higher than the task difficulty, the player’s character succeeds. Job abilities, equipment and other factors can sometimes cause such skill checks to gain a bonus or penalty to the roll, and the nine standard difficulty values are as follows; Elementary (5); spot a Dragon amongst a crowd of panicking people, get directions to the nearest town. Easy (7); create a rudimentary shelter in the wild, pocket an apple in a crowded marketplace. Moderate (9); pick an average lock, see the Tonberry hidden in the shadows, lie to an imperial guard. Challenging (11); cook a meal for a royal family, disarm an ancient trap, climb a high stone wall. Impressive (14); drive a motorcycle across a collapsing bridge, slip out of a pair of locked manacles. Heroic (17); pilot an airship through a hurricane with both engines on fire, find a cactuar needle in a haystack. Supreme (20); swim up a waterfall, memorize every word in a massive tome, catch a blade with your bare hands. Godlike (25); catch a bullet with your bare hands, successfully challenge your arch‐nemesis to a dance‐off. Impossible (30); collapse a fifty‐story building by ‘putting your back into it,’ leap from snowflake to snowflake as they fall. AffectingOtherPCs Social skills such as Acting or Negotiation will never have a direct impact on player characters – a player’s control over his character’s beliefs and attitude is absolute. Complications No situation is ever so bad it can’t possibly get worse. When a hero rolls 2d6 for a skill check and gets a pair of natural 1s as his result, this creates a Complication. Not only does the initial skill check not solve the problem regardless of what the total roll result would have been, but the character now finds him or herself dealing with a new, unexpected problem. They might be secondary issues that must be resolved for the group to succeed, or they might completely change the focus of the skill check. 102 Because th he roll must natturally result in n a pair of 1s, aa clever Gambller manipulatin ng dice cannott force complicatio ons to occur. Generally, though not alw ways, Complicaations retain th he difficulty of the first checkk. So if a playerr jokingly wantts to nguage roll to ttry and ‘communicate’ with aa rusty old lam mp to find out w what its purposse is, the GM m might make a Lan assign this a difficulty of IImpossible (30 0). If the playerr goes ahead annd does his beest on the roll aanyway, a n the player blurts out some long‐forgottenn magical word d accidently, activates the lamp, Complication might mean and finds h himself sucked inside. Now th he additional ro oll to get out oof that mess (w without just sm mashing the lam mp and hopingg for the best) will also be at difficulty 30 – hope the charracter’s Escapee skill is up to snuff! Assumingg it won’t be, tthe party will h have to come u up with a new p plan, and the pplayer of the po haracter mightt need oor trapped ch to start figu uring out how they can temp porarily aid the e group while bbeing a piece o of barely‐mobille pottery. Here are so ome further (and less horrifyying) examples.. One‐Eyed d Jack has disg guised himself a as an imperial solider and is ttrying to pick tthe lock on a prrison cell to geet his friends freee, and the GM rules that this is a Challengin ng task. This m means Jack has to roll 11 or beetter on his Thievery skill. Norm mally this would d be no problem m for the mastter thief, but a pair of 1s on hhis roll means tthe situation ha as just gotten more complicateed. The GM tellls Jack that in the middle of hhis attempt he hears a set of f footprints com ming, ust in time befo ore a pair of so oldiers show upp. They tell Jack it’s time for a a shift change, and and pockkets the picks ju now Jack has to use Neg gotiate to convvince them otherwise and gett a few more m minutes with th he lock. Just likke the heck, the GM sstates that thiss will be a Challlenging task foor Jack, made m moreso by the ffact that socia al skills previous ch aren’tt his strong suitt! If the GM aallows it, the fo ollow‐up skill check caused by a Complicati on can be mad de by the unluccky PC’s allies instead. Fo or example, a complication on n a Synthesis skill check mighht mean that th he crafter is m missing a few vittal components, and a Merccantile check att the same diffficulty would bbe needed to trrack them dow wn. There’s no d work while someone else hheads to the m market to wheeel and deal. reason the crafter can’t sstay behind and of an In a moree modern Final Fantasy gamee, Devi and Kelllos are racing ddown a metroppolis highway iin hot pursuit o armoreed car. Devi is d driving and rollls his Vehicles ccheck to try annd catch up, buut gets a Comp plication. The G GM announcees that their ta arget takes a hard right and g goes out of sighht, turning intoo oncoming tra affic. Now a sim mple chase ha as become far more dangerous for the hero oes, and the GM M requests thaat Devi use his A Awareness skiill to keep an n eye on the ca ar they’re chasiing. Kellos announces that hee’s the more obbservant of thee duo and he’ll l be keeping g a lookout for their quarry instead. A Although Kelloss rolls well, he, too, gets a Complication. He’s so focused on n his goal that he completelyy misses thee vehicle that ccomes up from behind an nd rams them, sending their sports carr smashing into o the side of a building. D Devi is barely cconscious from the crash, but isn’t too d dazed to noticee d pooling underneath them; the liquid they have only seconds tto Escape from m before it goes u up in flames. the car b 103 The Big List of Skills Don’t assume that the following few pages include every possible skill out there. Rather, this is just a sampling of standard adventuring aptitudes that have served many leading men and women well over the years. If you decide you want a skill that doesn’t appear on this list, just go ahead and add it to your character sheet with GM permission. Without further ado…. Athletics The ability to climb, tumble, jump, balance, and take falls. A character with this skill has refined their coordination, balance and flexibility to the point of being able to execute complex acrobatic maneuvers as if they were second nature. On a successful skill check you can perform a difficult feat of agility, such as leaping through a two‐foot‐ square window without hurting yourself, scaling a vertical surface, or sliding down a thin cable just in time to crash a wedding. Acting A character with this skill has the ability to lie, fake emotions and devise new personalities. With a successful skill check the character may attempt to use Acting to deceive, improvise, keep one hell of a poker face, or just rattle off a steady stream of bald‐face lies. Acting also covers the ability for a character to assume a new appearance through a disguise, ranging from a simple change of clothing to a full‐blown transformation. Awareness Characters with this skill possess a certain sixth sense when it comes to spotting potential dangers or noticing when something isn’t quite right – whether in the form of a con‐man attempting to swindle the party with counterfeit Elixirs, or a dozen slavering beasts waiting in ambush around the corner. Awareness is one of those skills that sees a lot of use, so it’s generally wise to invest at least a few points into it. Escape Everyone gets caught sometimes ‐‐ for this reason, the ability to slip out of a tight bind can prove to be a valuable asset. A character with this skill can worm his way out of rope, manacles, or grapples, get out from the inside of a locked safe, crawl from the wreckage of a crash landing, have the good fortune to leap through a second‐story window and land safely on a passing carriage, or take advantage of a brief distraction to vanish mysteriously into thin air. Although a failure simply means a character is forced to remain where they are, a Complication can just as easily result in injury, tangled bonds, or suspicious captors checking in to see what all the banging around is about… This skill also allows characters to flee from combat if faced with overwhelming odds, and it’s recommended that fledgling adventurers expend a few points to raise up this skill. (See p.148 for more information about Running Away in combat.) 104 Healing A character with this skill knows enough about the body and its workings to diagnose and treat most kinds of sickness and injury. Failure in either could have drastic consequences for the patient. It also doubles as a helpful tool in allowing an injured party to get a better night’s rest in adverse conditions, or popping joints back into place in the thick of battle. Complications that arise during Healing checks are rarely pleasant things. Inquiry Whether it’s the location of an ancient tomb, an obscure local legend, or just the address of the nearest inn, characters with the Inquiry skill are adept of digging up the information they need as quickly and painlessly as possible. The amount of time taken for an inquiring search can vary between a few minutes and several long days or more, depending on the breadth of resources available to the character. A failure simply means the character has not been able to locate the information; a Complication may indicate the character has stumbled into serious trouble during the course of searching. Wherever there’s a good mystery, there are undoubtedly people who want it to stay that way. Language A character can understand and communicate in various different languages; at lower levels, fluently enough to converse with others, at higher levels with the proficiency of a skilled orator and writer. All characters can generally speak their own racial language as well as the standard language spoken the world over (if such a thing exists), but whenever the PCs encounter a language they’ve never heard before, Language is rolled to determine which of the PCs – if any – are fluent in it! Once a character encounters a new language and rolls this skill, success or failure permanently determines if they’ll have the language in their repertoire for future game sessions. Following is a short list of languages that may appear in your world, as well as an approximate difficulty for the associated Language check. Ancient (Heroic): The spoken or written tongues of the world’s precursor races, sometimes known as Lufenian or Lefenish. Ancient languages see very little usage in the world’s day‐to‐day affairs, particularly in their spoken forms; these are usually the domain of scholars and adventurers canny enough to realize that sooner or later everything comes down to mysteriously‐inscribed slabs and relics. Bhasa Mithra (Challenging): The Mithran/Viera language is constructed around a relatively limited set of words, placing heavy emphasis on prefixes and context instead. The flowery, flowing language is learned by instinct, not social saturation. This causes the dialect to be hard to learn and follow as it does not have roots in any other language. Common Tongue (Moderate): The standard Human – or ‘Hume’ – tongue, lingua franca on most continents. Most, if not all, adventurers will be fluent in this language to one degree or another. Elvaan (Impressive): Complex and florid, Elvaan has its roots in antiquity. Like all other aspects of Elvaan culture, it is a source of racial pride and jealously guarded against dilution from outside sources. Galkan (Challenging)): Few Galka are capable of speaking their blunt, unsentimental native language, let alone writing it; adventurers are most likely to encounter it in ancient, Galkan‐built structures and on racial artifacts. Mogri (Impressive): The language used by the Moogle race. Though most non‐Moogles may wonder how much communication can be achieved solely using the word ‘Kupo’, Mogri is surprisingly subtle; though untrained listeners will only hear that one word, those fluent in the language know it's all about slight variations. Few non‐ Moogles are fluent in this speech. 105 Monster Talk (Heroic): Used to communicate with beasts and intelligent creatures that cannot utilize Common Tongue, this language is typically non‐verbal in nature. Though scholars would balk at calling the resulting collection of grunts, growls and posturing a ‘language’, there is considerable study involved in mastering it. Lajargon (Moderate): Used by the enigmatic little folk, this language sees great use in the scholarly world due to the vast amounts of lost magical artifacts and rune‐embedded treasure that is unearthed. Planar (Supreme): This is used by the strange creatures that traverse the wholly‐magical planes, such as The Void or the dreams of the Gods themselves. How any mortal would know how to speak this remains a mystery. Binary (Heroic): Binary is a language of zeros and ones, usually written, but can be spoken with a crude vocal processor that emits boops and bleeps. Androids may have attempted to pass the language on to others, but it ultimately remains nigh‐impossible to follow in conversation to all but the most practiced listeners. Lore Skills which cover a character's understanding of a particular concept or area, abstract or not – facts, figures, and essential information relating to a subject the character has studied in at least some detail. Better skill checks mean the GM can provide more quality, quantity, and detail in terms of information granted, but you cannot make multiple Lore checks regarding the same bit of information; you either know or you don’t. A GM might make Lore checks privately, and a Complication represents the information you receive is probably incorrect as opposed to simply a 'I don't know.' Learning that this particular species of Dragon is not dangerous to people with a failed Lore roll may be an awkward situation for your party to find itself in.... Lore (General): Detailed knowledge of the world the characters live in; geography of a particular area, major landmarks and guilds, current events and local customs. Lore (History): General knowledge of key events in history, including dates, personalities, and other minutiae. Also includes popular mythology, ranging from ancient sagas to contemporary 'urban legends' Lore (Monsters): What is a Malboro's preferred food source? Just how fast does a Cactuar actually run? A character with Monster Lore is a treasure trove of facts and trivia on the planet's inhuman inhabitants. Lore (Magic): A primer on all forms and colors of magic, of both ancient and current varieties. Also includes knowledge regarding Espers, such the histories, strengths, weaknesses and personalities of the Esper society, as well as routes and passages taken on a summoner's pilgrimage and the like. This does not cover the exact properties of magical items, which is instead handled by the Mercantile skill below. Mercantile A character with the Mercantile skill knows her way around buying cheap and selling high, making a profit wherever people are to be found, and obtaining anything the group might need. They can pawn long‐forgotten family heirlooms back to the family in question, or discover the potential magical properties of a jewel‐encrusted sword. They might travel the world filling their pockets with coins, or this might simply be residue know‐how from growing up in the streets. A successful skill check can be used to locate a particular piece of equipment, haggle a price with a reluctant dealer, or contact a shady, black‐market vendor. A character with Mercantile will have a good eye for details and can easily appraise items of mundane value to determine their true worth and authenticity. Finally, this skill allows players to determine the exact magical properties of a given item, at a difficulty determined by the GM on a case‐by‐case basis. Nature A character with this skill is able to locate drinking water, forage food and avoid natural hazards that could easily take the life of a less‐experienced traveler, and have an instinctual rapport with the natural creatures of the world. 106 Nature is ro olled when the e character wisshes to ride a C Chocobo or pe rhaps even a D Dragon, use lan ndmarks to find d their way in hostile territory, follow the e tracks of an e enemy or conceeal their own, convince the m marquis’ viciou us o need for the ssnarling and biiting, or even d direct the temp per of those veery pets that you’re a friend and there’s no same pets on their beloved owner. ng for an entire e group out in tthe wild insteaad of just tryingg to sustain heerself, the difficculty If the charaacter is foragin is generallyy increased. A character with this skilll trying to win over an animal in combat is rrarely ever lesss than a Slow aaction. Negotiattion The fine art of getting your way. A charracter with thiss skill can use ttheir powers off persuasion to o do anything ffrom bartering for an item to cconvincing thatt troublesome Captain of thee Guard that, n no, they really mperial sympathizer, thank yyou all the sam me. This skill covvers everything from aren’t an Im seduction tto intimidation n to begging for your life...and, like Awarenness and Escapee, is generally aa good skill to h have at your disposal. Perform m A character with this skilll can express h herself in a mulltitude of wayss – song, dancee, playing almo ost eated, giving rousing speeches, or just haviing a reverence‐worthy stagee every instrument ever cre Generally, this skill is utilized by Entertainers – miming, d ancing and sin nging are a big presence. G part of their repertoire – but music as aa form of enterrtainment is coommon in mosst worlds, and ndering musicaally‐minded advventurers can many inns and pubs often include a piaano where wan h this skill can ttune a violin, kknow the propeer tickle the ivvories and makke a few gil. A character with time to stage dive, and be able to transsition fluidly fro om a waltz from m a gavotte without stepping hduke’s toes in n the process. on the arch Scavenge e With this h handy skill, a ch haracter can usse bits and piecces of defeatedd enemies to aacquire Compo onents for craffting, aiding in th he construction n of everythingg from weapon ns to food. Scavvenge can onlyy be used on N Notorious Monsters or Bosses tthat the party h has defeated, aand may only b be attempted oonce per charaacter regardlesss if the roll waas a success or failure. Note that this isn’t always as straigghtforward as j ust grabbing b bones and fanggs and scales; aa blacksmith could stumble e across a rare vein of ore in the lair of an uundead dragon n, and a botaniist could find u use for mantoise. the moss ggrowing on the back of a centturies‐old Adam The Compo onents acquire ed by Scavenge e are generally of a Tier approopriate to the party’s averagge level. The difficulty of this skill shou uld rarely strayy into the high extremes, andd should reflectt the player’s d description of w what eces the player is trying to accquire – for exaample, turningg an octopus m monster into dinner is easier tthan bits and pie trying to tu urn it into a cro ossbow. A Complicaation on a Scavvenge skill checck might mean n the party disccovers something they know possesses valu ue, but might ccontain a linge ering evil presence or be nearr‐impossible too transport. Taking the item m might even earn the PCs some ffurther enemie es, such as angry environmen ntalists calling tthe heroes ‘po oachers,’ or perhaps even a b band of rough‐an nd‐tumble thugs who are anggered the grou up wound up w with the treasu ure they’ve beeen after. 107 Stealth This Skill gives the character a basic understanding of subterfuge, allowing him to secrete himself in darkened corners to escape detection and sneak around without arousing too much suspicion. It’s rolled to hide objects upon your person or tucked discreetly away in hidden alcoves, and for impressive sleight‐of‐hand tricks and the like. If you attack an opponent who doesn’t know that you’re there, you’re almost always entitled to a pre‐emptive combat round. Swimming A character with this skill has the training to float, swim and dive, as well as hold their breath underwater for far longer than most people. Skill checks are required if a character is attempting to reach a particular location underwater, to stay afloat in rough current or for long periods of time, as well as for actions undertaken while underwater. (See p.171 for rules regarding holding one’s breath and drowning.) Synthesis A character with this skill can create items of varying size and complexity from scratch using a wide range of materials and methods, as well as repairing damaged equipment. A successful Synthesis check will successfully create an item for 50% of the normal market price. A failure means that no item is created but the gil is used up in the attempt. Characters can sell newly‐crafted stuff items for 100% of the normal price when in major cities, allowing enterprising individuals to actually make a living and a profit with their trade. This is subject to GM discretion, and players should be aware that the prices fluctuate in some areas due to factors such as distrust of the character, prohibited goods, competition, and more. Such crafting is specific to a type of manufacture, the most prominent of which are as follows; Synthesize (Alchemy): Through their intimate knowledge of the reactions of compounds, a character with this skill can attempt to brew up (and blow up) a wide variety of useful mixtures and potions known as Consumables. Synthesize (Armor): This synthesis skill allows the user to create, reinforce, and repair all defensive equipment, ranging from full‐plate suits of armor to elegant gowns or heavy shields. Synthesize (Cooking): Though some may question the value of haute cuisine in adventuring life, they're liable to change their tune when the only alternative is another week's worth of dried meat. A character with this skill knows how to prepare and identify all types of dishes, and some iron chefs (masters of meals, titans of taste, emperors of edibles!) are able to augment their comrades’ abilities in battle with appropriate Foods. Synthesize (Tinkering): The least useful of the crafting types in day‐to‐day affairs, Tinkers work with glass and clockwork and usually keep a bizarre assortment of gadgets and inventions at their disposal. This category covers accessories as well as expansive projects such as airships, land vehicles, and other large technological leaps. Synthesize (Weapons): Every adventurer needs one of these at some point, and these illustrious artisans are the ones that make it happen. Blacksmithing, stonecutting, woodworking, and boneworking are all facets of weapon synthesization, and this skill handles everything one might need to bring his enemies low. Systems A multipurpose skill that allows a character to work with complex mechanisms, including electrical wiring, robots, constructs, and computers. It covers everything from hacking into a secure mainframe to knowing which piece of steel to pull in order to separate moving train cars. A successful skill check can be used to either set up, interrupt, 108 or tamper with a system.. It is possible ffor a Complicattion to trigger unintended reesults such as aa small armadaa of security drones being acttivated when the main computer core shutts down. Thievery y A character with this skilll can open perfform an entire e repertoire of illegal activitiees with speed aand style. Theyy can open locks on doors, treaasure chests an nd anything elsse others consiider worth seccuring, given a few simple too ols, a little elbow w grease and a successful skill check. They m may rummage through pockeets undetected d and snatch sm mall valuables, fforge importan nt documents, cheat at dice ggames, and dissarm – or set –– traps of varying complexity and lethality. A A failure generaally means the lock refuses to o budge or tha t they weren’tt able to snatch h their prize, whereas a Complication ggenerally mean ns a trap is trigggered or the ppocket actuallyy belonged to aa member of th he eeping a close e eye on the chaaracter for som me time. city watch that’d been ke Vehicles This Skill en nables a character to helm m most vehicles w with a reasonabble degree of reliability, thou ugh in adverse conditions things might b be a little bit m more difficult. TThis skill governns everything ffrom motorcyccles to Magitekk Airships. Speciaal maneuvers n naturally requirre an advancedd level of abilitty to pull off without wreckin ng the Armor to A vehicle in q question in the e process. It can n also be utilized to repair daamaged vehiclees to which thee Systems skill doesn’t apply. 109 DESTINY “Your actions have meaning only if they hold true to your ideals.” - Ramza Beoulve Destiny Points are a metagame representation of a Character’s impact on the world. They’re what separates the movers and the shakers of the world from the masses, what the player characters – and their most fearsome opponents! – possess that nobody else does. By filling out a quote on your character sheet you may earn a single point of Destiny right off the start; otherwise, all characters generally begin play without any reserves of this important resource. Characters created at levels higher than first often already have Destiny ready for action. Destiny Points are earned through a completion of a character’s goals, and when the character performs a dramatic (though not necessarily life‐threatening) action. The watch‐word here is ‘dramatic’ – this means disarming a city‐leveling bomb at the four second mark, leaping a fifty‐foot drop to catch a rope dangling from the side of a getaway vehicle, supporting an entire two‐story house with nothing but muscle power while it burns AND a party members rushes inside to save the trapped occupants….y’know, that sort of thing. EarningDestiny Though some GMs may choose to alter these methods slightly, the standard ways to receive Destiny are as follows; Having a Quote on your character sheet, as discussed, generally starts you off with one automatic point of Destiny. Defeating a Boss awards each member of the party one or more points of Destiny, Members of the ‘Warrior’ Job class always receive an additional point for this due to their innate ability. Dramatic Heroism, as described above, generally awards each member of the party one point of Destiny. Certain Job Abilities can allow the character to earn Destiny here or there by meeting various criteria. Completing Goals allows individual characters to gain Destiny, as well. Two points are awarded for a small, short‐term goal, and FIVE are awarded for seeing the end of a lifelong dream (such as building the world’s first airship, becoming a Chocobo knight, finding true love, taking the throne, and so on). GMs are encouraged to talk with their players before the game begins to discuss their three short‐term goals as well as their lifelong one. Some players may simply choose three semi‐comical short‐term goals they could complete within a game session or two, such as ‘Be born a Dwarf’, and ‘Dig a hole.’ If the GM is unable to deter the character from these goals, don’t fret too much. Once a goal is completed, a player can’t invent a new one to take its place…and thus, the 6 Destiny points granted from short‐term goals are a one‐time bonus. If a character chooses to design their goals in such a way that they’ll get immediate gratification instead of the destiny spread out over the course of the campaign, this certainly has its own downsides. 110 SpendiingDestin ny Destiny hass six primary uses, discussed below. Enhancin ng a Roll (1): A single pointt of Destiny willl further allow w a character to o add an additional d6 to anyy roll of his choicce, whether it iis to resist a de eadly status efffect, maximizee their accuracyy, or smooth‐talk a longstand ding archenemyy. Players may spend as manyy points of Desstiny as they likke on a single rroll to add more and more dice. They can choose to do th his after seeing the result of the ro oll, and if they like, e even add more d6s one at a time until they achieve their desired ressult. A characteer who spendss valuable Destiny in n order to keep p the plot moving is the best sort o of player a ope for. Make sure that GM can ho their contrribution is remembered! Changingg Jobs (3): Foor a trio of poinnts the charactter may becom me a member o of an entirely d different Job. This is a process that requires caareful planningg and good deccision‐making oon the player’ss behalf, as it p possible such aa change cou uld hurt a character’s effectivveness instead of spurring thhem to greater heights. Upon spending Destiny fo or a Job Changge, an act that may only be peerformed out o of combat, thee character es her HP, MP, ACC and AVD tto be appropriiate for a mem mber of that new Job. The Inn nate Ability of tthat recalculate Job replace es their formerr Innate Abilityy. The characcter does not o obtain (or lose) skill points, sp pells or their sppellcasting ability, or access tto abilities she has learned. W Whenever the character learns a new abilityy, she only has access to her ccurrent Job’s standard abilities (as well as shared abilities). The characcter does not automatically gain spells when switching to a magic‐usingg job. Instead, u upon gaining aa level when in a sspellcasting Job b such as Blackk Mage, the character can peermanently leaarn a spell of th he appropriatee rank if the Job w was to learn on ne. Finally, a ch haracter neverr loses access tto Weapon typ pes she had preeviously, but th he list of armor they’re proficcient with is dep pendent on the eir new Job. So for example, aa Samurai whoo became a Blaack Mage would still be able tto wield her B Blade‐type weaapon, but would only be able e to equip Lightt Armor without penalty. Using Ab bilities and Limit Breaks (3): Upon reaaching significaant milestones during gamepplay, characterss can create pow werful signature e attacks know wn as Limit Breaks. Able to tuurn near lossess into clear victtories, these m mighty attacks can n only be accesssed when the character is ne ear death. By eexpending 3 Deestiny when th heir character iis at 25% or few wer Hit Points (but conscious!), a player may use any Limitt Break they kn now as a stand dard action on their 111 turn. Regarrdless of how m many Destiny P Points the charracter possessees, this option may not be ussed more than once per round. In addition, there are a handful of job aabilities which request pointss of Destiny as a price for theeir activation. SSuch e usually astronomically pow werful. abilities are Blaze of G Glory (5): The character haas been reduceed to 0 HP or evven killed, or ddeath is imminent, and the pplayer doesn’t havve enough Desstiny saved up to Cheat Death as describedd below and savve their characcter. But the sacrifice will not be in vaiin – by expending 5 points off Destiny at anyy time, the chaaracter may go o out with a baang. A player who has used Blaze of Glory caan make a decclaration, any llast desire theyy might have e that then beccomes canon in n the game world, so long as th he majority of ecision. For players agrree with the de example, the party could be sailing thro ough ed by the skies on an imperial aairship, defeate who now looms over them. TThe a general w party Engin neer looks up, winks to his comrades, and reveals on ne last inventio on – a ‘Time Bomb,’ as he calls iit. The player then he Engineer finds the strength h to declares th stand and ccharges the ge eneral, sendingg them both tumbling overr the side and o out es the Time Bo omb to rip open a portal in thhe space‐time ffabric, suckingg the general, tthe into the airr. There, he use character, and even seve eral of the enem my airships into the void. Thee character is ggone, never to be seen again n, but has foreverr altered the sttory. Blaze of Glory can be use ed for just abou ut anything, up p to and includ ing preventingg the death of o other PCs by estiny has been used, the ch aracter is alwaays killed in a d dramatic fashio on – sacrificing yyourself insteaad. After the De however, ccharacters thatt have stockpile ed HUGE amou unts of Destinyy could conceivvably combinee this with Cheaat Death to re esurface later. GMs mightt find Blaze of G Glory to be a frrustrating mecchanic as they ssee their careffully‐laid plot d disrupted, but w we encourage them not to sttifle their playe ers’ creativity. After all, thesee are the scenees that will maake a game e long after the e fact. memorable Cheat De eath (7+): Death is a fact off life in the worrlds of Final Fa ntasy – after aall, no saga is trruly complete without at least one tragic demise or in nspiring sacrificce. However, thhe death of a lleading character in a storylin ne can have majorr repercussions on the story as a whole, particularly for thhe unfortunatee player now leeft scrambling for a replacement. With at least 7 points of D Destiny, a player can restore their deceased d character to life, or escapee a situation th hat would othe erwise kill the ccharacter outright. 112 However, aall the characte er’s Destiny is cconsumed whe en Cheat Deat h is used, no m matter how maany points theyy had saved up. e encouraged n never to annou unce that they are Cheating D Death – rather,, telling the GM M in private byy Players are slipping a n note or the like e is the best waay – it makes fo or far more draamatic play wh hen the characcter reappears. This ‘resurrrection’ will ne ever be an imm mediate one; if engaged in a bbattle, the character will not revive until affter the battle iis long since ovver. If caught in n a certain‐deaath situation, t heir survival w will not be appaarent until som me time has paassed – and the rest of the party has alread dy given them up for dead. H How the characcter manages tto escape the e reaper is left tto the player to explain. Summon ning (Varies): As the characcters progress in their advennture they mayy obtain the asssistance of an otherworld dly being know wn as an Esper, an entity with h strength rival ing – and derivved from ‐ the entire group o of heroes. This is no easy feat. The most p powerful of Esp pers require ennormous amou unts of effort aand Destiny to extraordinary; healing, statuss effects, suppo ort spells, and all types of remain in tthis world. But the payoff is e damage, in n magnitudes that eventuallyy surpass even the most advaanced spells of the standard sschools of maggic. Summoning and Espers aare discussed m more on the following pages. 113 SU UMM MON NING G “Old man’s m still got itt!” - Sazh Katzroy Summoned d Beasts ‐ also known as Espe ers, Avatars, Guardian Forcess, Scions, Eidollons, Fayth, Aeeons, and a varriety of other naames across the worlds ‐ are powerful dime ensional spiritss and allies thaat have taken aan interest in th he characters.. They function unlike every other ability in n the game, in that Summoning (calling theese supernaturral creatures into the physical world tempo orarily) is often n a group decission made by ((and paid for b by) the entire p party. n other ways, thhey are physiccal manifestatio ons of the partty’s In fact, in ssome ways Espers are their own beings – in outlook, go oals, and strenggths. Their pow wers might uniite a group of hheroes – or divvide it. How Summ mons appear in n each game is ultimately up tto the GM. Thiis is a completely stand‐alone system; the ggame generally w won’t be any eaasier or harderr for the PCs no o matter if theey start with a p patron Esper aat their side or never once befrie end one. Some e games will see the heroes searching out t he powers of tthe Espers on aa journey know wn as a ‘Pilgrimagge,’ where the eir mettle will b be tested in dangerous and soometimes even horrifying ways. Some gam mes will see the e characters ass heirs of a greaat power in the eir own right, eeach with their own divine guardian Summ mon. Some game es will never se ee Summons e even mentioned. Once the p party acquires tthe assistance of a Summon in whatever m manner, it will u ultimately fall iinto one of two o categories,, depending on n the game; Paarty Espers are watchful guarrdians of an en ntire group, and d may be summoned d and controlle ed by any mem mber of the advventuring trouppe. On the other hand, Individual Espers ‘belong’ to only one charracter, a person n often referre ed to as a Summ moner in reverrent tones. Summo oning an Esp per is a Slow aaction that gennerally costs onne point of Desstiny per Rankk of the Esper. For example,, Chocobo, a Rank 1 Esper, w would only costt 1 point of Desstiny to make aan appearancee. Alexander would cost five. In n the case of a Party Esper, t his value is doubled. 114 Devotio on There is, ho owever, a loop phole to this – by helping an EEsper achieve its objective, tthe Destiny cosst required to summon it is permanentlly reduced by o one (or, in the case of a Partyy Esper, two). These causes, goals, ambitio ons, ursue are know wn as Devotion ns, and might b be anything fro om and ideals that the Esper hopes the chaaracters will pu e of the wild to o an act of suprreme selfishne ss. Building a ‘‘working relatio onship’ with a protecting a sacred place celestial gu uardian is key tto making such h powerful entiities more williing to come to o the Summoneer’s aid. Actively wo orking against an Esper’s Devvotion can ofte en have the oppposite effect, and these unkknowable entities specificallyy granted by the GM (as oppo osed to the Gra and Summonerr shared abilityy) can choose tto leave for go ood at any time. manently grantt what is know wn as a Pact Bo oon – this migh ht be a Even better, completing aan Esper’s Devvotion will perm new attackk, an increase in damage agaiinst an entire sspecies of monnster, or a varieety of other things. Most commonly of all, howeve er, it is a bonuss given directly to the Summooner(s) – the ability to breath he underwaterr or turn dull ge ems to glowingg shards of crysstal, and so mu uch more. If an Esper doesn’t actually cost any points of Destinyy to summon (ddue to being a Rank one creaature whose has been fulfille ed), they may sstay in the phyysical world inddefinitely if thee Summoner so o chooses with hout Devotion h being dism missed/re‐summ moned constan ntly. Though th his lets them acct as tagalongss to the troupee of adventurerrs, they canno ot absorb damaage for the chaaracters outsid de of combat thhe way they no ormally do in th he thick of batttle. Calcula atingEspe erAttribu utes No matter whether the SSummon associates itself with h the entire gr oup or a singlee character, there are some nd utilize their summoner’s sttats characterisstics that neverr change. Theyy do not possesss attributes off their own, an for their caalculations – so o a dexterous aand agile Summ moner will worrk best with nim mble and fast EEspers, and so on. Espers ccan be damaged and attacked d like any othe er creature e, and have a Hit Point tot H al equal to thee Summon ner’s Maxim mum HP, multiplied by the Summo on’s Rank. Soo if a Blue Magge with only 1550 maximum m hp summoned Yojimbo, a Rank 3 Esper, it wo ould enter the battlefield witth 450 hp. Their ARM and MARM sccores are alwayys 0, their level is treated as being 15, theyy have the same AVD as their eir spells are caast as Standard d Summonerr, and all of the actions thaat do not cost M MP. Many Espe ers have varied inherent supp port abilities su uch as elementtal weakness o or Auto‐Statuse es, but all Summons aall have the inh herent ability IImpervious, making the em immune to all negative sttatus effects unless othe erwise specifie ed (Anima is alw ways affected by Zombie, for example). They also cannott be affected b by 115 Knockback or Disarm, cannot have their equipment targeted or broken, do not take falling damage, cannot have their spells interrupted, cannot be swayed or affected by skills of any sort, such as an attempt to intimidate or coerce, and cannot receive the effects of Haste (unless they already have the Auto‐Haste property). An Esper may act immediately upon being Summoned. The Esper can stay on the battlefield for up to three rounds before automatically being dismissed. An Esper can be dismissed sooner than this if the battle ends, if it loses all of its HP, or if the characters choose to send it away. Once an Esper is dismissed, the summoners rejoin battle, become active targets for damage and attacks, and all status conditions inflicted continue to take effect. On the Esper’s third turn, they may Instantly utilize a powerful ability known as an Astral Flow before they depart. These attacks are of immense potency, capable of altering entire landscapes with their destructive and restorative properties. EspersinCombat After the Esper has been summoned forth to the battlefield from their distant and alien realm, they take on a physical form that can be damaged and deal damage in return just like any player character. If the Esper was Summoned by only one character – that is, the creature is an Individual Esper – then the single character who summoned it vanishes from battle after completing the Slow‐action summoning process and paying the requisite Destiny. That character becomes untargetable and protected by the guardian creature’s powerful magic. The player is then able to take a normal turn using the Esper that has been summoned – they may move, cast spells, and use any of the attacks on the Esper’s list, using the character’s normal attributes. All damage by Espers is automatic, not requiring an attack roll, and considered nonelemental magic damage that is reduced by M.ARM as normal unless specified otherwise (such as in the case of an elementally‐aligned spell). For example, an Esper that states it deals (RES x 5) damage on an attack would deal 55 nonelemental damage if its summoner had a RES score of 11. If the Esper was Summoned by an entire Party, then things work a little differently. Although it costs the same amount of Destiny to summon a Party Esper, all of the PCs complete an uninterrupted Slow action to call it into existence. If even one party member is rendered unconscious or has their action interrupted, the Esper can’t be summoned. Once the summoning is complete, any PC can ‘chip in’ to help pay for the Destiny cost. The group chooses which single character will control the Esper, and once again, only that character vanishes. The main difference here is that the Esper’s stats are calculated by whichever player in the group has the highest attribute. So to calculate the Esper’s health, the group might decide to multiply its hit points from the party Monk. It’s AVD score may mirror that of the group’s Ninja. And even if the team Entertainer is the one controlling the Esper, they might use the party Black Mage’s PWR score to figure out damage when casting a spell or using a powerful attack. Regardless of what sort of Esper is summoned, whether Party or Individual, an Esper only has three rounds before it returns to wherever it came from. At the end of the third turn, if the Esper is still alive and hasn’t been dismissed by the group, they may use their powerful Astral Flow ability instantly and automatically. 116 KnowYourCosmicAllies! A brief description of each of the standard Espers can be found on the following page. You can find the detailed versions of each Summon in Chapter VIII, starting on p.238. RankOneSummons Bismarck: A noble white whale and protector of the deep. Carbuncle: A bejeweled creature capable of reflecting magical attacks. Chocobo: A spirit of travel and adventure manifesting as a familiar and comforting sight. Salamander: The living embodiment of flame and destruction, now in convenient pocket‐size. Siren: A beautiful songstress and temptress, charming her enemies and serenading her allies. Sylph: Mischievous fae that favor those who protect the wild places of the world. Valefor: A dignified avian that honors those who show courage, self‐sacrifice and perseverance. RankTwoSummons Catoblepas: A repugnant cycloptic beast that can turn enemies to stone with a glance. Ifrit: A savage demonic warrior who brings with him the remorseless fires of hell. Leviathan: A massive sea serpent that effortlessly controls water and rules all who dwell in the oceans. Pandemona: The manifestation of the scorching wind that blows through hell itself. Ramuh: An ageless sage and wizard who commands the storm and the skies with effortlessness. Shiva: A blue‐skinned goddess of ice and snow. Titan: A ponderous guardian of earth, who uses raw might to aid the party. RankThreeSummons Asura: A fickle, three‐faced queen who has been known to favor enemies as often as the party. Cerberus: The watchdog of the underworld, loyal and brave despite its hellish nature. Fenrir: The father of all great beasts is said to grow in power with the phases of the moon. Phantom: A long‐deceased paladin, now a disembodied force of righteousness. Seraph: An angel descended from the heavens to watch over the party. Tritoch: Using three elemental types, the rainbow dragon gains power by absorbing his own attacks. Yojimbo: A samurai spirit that fights only to line his own pockets with gil. RankFourSummons Anima: The chained aspect of death that has taken on the world’s suffering and pain. Atomos: A mindless mile‐high mouth containing a portal to another dimension. Diabolos: A dream‐devil with powers over gravity and darkness. Doomtrain: A spectral train that carries the deceased to their final resting place. Knights of the Round: Knights from legend, reunited for one final campaign. Maduin: An authoritative humanoid Esper who wields enormously powerful black magic. Phoenix: A fiery bird whose tears are said to cure the wounded, able to rise from the ashes when killed. RankFiveSummons Alexander: A living castle capable of lighting up the night sky with the power of Holy. Bahamut: The god of all dragons, prepared to fight to the death alongside the party. Odin: Destruction and nihilism incarnate, armed with a powerful obsidian blade. 117 CHA APTE ER IV V: EQ QUIP PMEN NT "Hmph. I daresay d I've so oiled my cuffs. If I a dungeon's waiting for us a at the end of th he night, it had best have a ch hange of wardrobe. Incidentally y, what IS the going g rate for rescuing re Prince esses these dayys? Food woulld be a good sttart -the good d stuff, mind yo ou." - B althier Mid Bun nansa The 500 Gil characters re eceive during character generration are onlyy the tip of the iceberg; beforre long, they'll have ng and armorin ng themselves against the dangers that awaait them in theeir the moneyy to set about sseriously armin travels. Thiis chapter cove ers the most esssential portions of an advennturer's gear, frrom the humb blest longsword d to the finest G Genji Armor ‐ aand beyond. While most of a player's e equipment willl end up comin ng from over‐tthe‐counter sales, the very beest items take a pically involvess going toe‐to‐‐toe with demo on lords or little more effort to obtaiin ‐ the kind off effort that typ uins. traversing ancient, monstter‐haunted ru Curren ncy The Gil (g) is the standard d currency of the Final Fantassy universe. Geenerally, a singgle gil piece is p pocket changee, but om world to wo orld ‐ and even n from region tto region ‐ in aaccordance to tthe demands o of prices flucttuate wildly fro scarcity and prosperity. Countries aand nations ten nd to mint their own individu ual gil currencyy; while these may be known n by particular names with hin that countrry, at the end o of the day, a giil is a gil is a gil ‐ lightweight, easy to spend, and readily accepted the world over.. The latter is d due to the gil's composition; ttraditionally, aa gil piece is en ngraved in gold d ‐ e name 'gil' itse elf plays on thiis tradition. Changing times aand growing po opulations mayy force indeed, the governmen nts to 'water down' the curre ency, however,, replacing the scarcer materrial with more common metaals such as bro onze and silverr. Paper bills arre also increasing in popularitty as an easily‐‐concealable alternative to th he standard co oinage. Where e such changess take place, they usually do sso on a worldw wide scale, enssuring a continu ued and universal acceptance e for the curren ncy. world comparison, you could d imagine one sstandard gil to have about th he same value as one North‐ For a real‐w American d dollar. StoreT Types No matter where you are e in the world, d stores exist fo or nearly everyy form of specialized merchandise imaginable ‐ even in the remotest mall traders and d traveling merchants regions, sm will be morre than happy to do businesss with anyone ablle to afford the eir goods. Sample types characters may run into o over the course of their adventuress include: Weapon SStores stock w weapons of all sshapes and sizes. A A good portion n of these store es manufacture their inventtory in‐house, 118 incorporating separate fo orges and workkshops beneath the premisess. Armor Sto ores cover protective gear off every type, frrom Light clothh robes to Heavvy plate and shhields. As with Weapon Sttores, it is not u uncommon to find skilled me etalworkers annd craftsmen attached to thee store's premises. General SStores service tthe populationn at large, sellinng recovery annd support Item ms as well as m miscellaneous equipmentt. In smaller tow wns, a General Store may alsso stock a limitted selection o of basic weapons and armor iif no other store es in the area ssell them. Relic Store es tend to be rrarer fixtures inn settlements; most of their stock comes frrom items recoovered by adventurerrs and explorerrs. As the name implies, theyy deal in curioss and unusual items, including Accessories o of all shapes and d sizes. Bazaars are stores with a twist – you nnever know quuite what you'rre going to get.. Generally onlly found in largger cities, bazaaars offer a wid de range of straange and unussual goods, rannging from gen nuine rarities an nd powerful artifacts to o the buffed‐up p junk sold by u unscrupulous ccon men lookinng to make a q quick Gil. Unlikee normal shops, players don n't come to a b bazaar with a sshopping list – rather, they w will get a numbeer of purchasee options, each given a descriptio on rather than a firm name. A A Tier 3 bow fo ound in a townn bazaar mightt be described as 'a well‐polisshed ancient cro ossbow, shiningg like the sun,' while an Arcane weapon maay be called 'an n iron‐shod stick made of durable wood.' The ere are generallly only three w ways to positively identify a ggood: buy it, m make a successfful Mercantile roll with the ap ppropriate mod difiers, or find some way to gget the truth o ut of the bazaaar proprietor –– assuming eveen he knows the item’s true wo orth. So why botther with bazaars? Not only do they hid de some amaziing pieces of gear, bazaaar goods can saave players some coin, assuming theyy're careful enough to avoid the scam ms – that 'bag of ten dustty bottles with illegible labels' retailing fo or 50gil could b be a budget‐ priced packk of potions... o or simple colored waater. Because the GM decidess what's on o offer, it can be difficult to achieve the e right balance e between money‐wasters and genu uinely good buys – aim for unpredictaability, but let ds right. the playerss score some bargains if theyy play their card Auction H Houses are thee preferred hauunts of the nobble and well‐too‐do. They allow w selected members of the p public to bid on a variety of rarities and antiqu uities. Generally speaking, orrdinary equipm ment and itemss are unlikely to end up on the aauction block – – what's up forr grabs tends to o run the gamuut from useless bric‐a‐brac like model airsh hips and collecttible porcelain to dungeon ke eys and artifactts of mystic siggnificance. Aucction house items can easily b be the start of a great adventure e or change the course of the e current one, but they’re rarely found outtside of major ccities. Even then, access isn't a ggiven – some h houses may on nly cater to thee upper classess, making it diffficult for rough h‐and‐ tumble advventurers to ge et in without th he right connections. 119 Selling Equipme ent As characte ers upgrade to o better equipm ment, they mayy wish to sell thheir older gearr to merchantss. These will typically pay 50% off the listed pricce for items, th hough this mayy be adjusted ddownward for w wear and tear ‐ or any numb ber of other facto ors ‐ at the GM's discretion. FFor example, a dagger purchaased for 700g w would only be worth a maxim mum of 350g if ssold, provided it was still in go ood condition at the time. Brroken equipmeent can generaally only be sold for a fraction o of its original cost. Newly‐syntthesized gear – – that is, equip pment and item ms created by tthe player thatt have never beeen used – miight sell for 100 0% of the markket rate in prossperous cities. Carryin ngEquipm ment In order to simplify the process, all charracters have fo our basic equippment 'slots' w which can be fillled by various items ourse of the gaame ‐ in the FFd d6, such items are said to bee ‘equipped’, an haracter to benefit over the co nd allow the ch from any and all propertiies they offer. TThese slots are e Left Hand, Right Hand, Arm mor, and Accesssory. One Hand might hold aa single weeapon of any siize, a shield or an item, but n never multiple things at the same mor is, of coursse, time. Arm the garm ments and proteective gear desccribed later in this chapter, and again, onlyy one worn type of armor may be w may at a time; a character m not, for eexample, don aa set of robes over heavy plaate in order to ggain the beneffits of both. ngs, pendants, headgear, gau untlets, boots aand other item m. A Accessory is a catchall category for the enchanted rin character ccan equip only one Accessoryy at a time to rreceive the bennefits of it. All other items which a ch haracter may h have stocked in n his or her poockets, bags and backpack is kknown as a character’ss Inventory. Regardless of a characcter’s strength h, any characte er may only ca arry a combin ned total of 10 items in their inventoryy; once the lim mit has been reached, the chaaracter must d rop or sell som me of their equ uipment beforee they are able e to take on moore. Beyond the e equipment purchased durin ng character crreation, a charracter may havve a few items of purely sentimentaal or personal vvalue ‐ a signett ring passed d down from genneration to gen neration; a necklace or lockett given to them from a love ed one; a luckyy coin or talism man; in short, aanything that d does not have aa price tag as ssuch, ortance. Such ittems do not occcupy position s within a charracter’s limited d inventory. but still holds some impo 120 Weapon Categories Whether you’re using a gigantic two‐handed plasma blade, a broken barstool, or the sound produced by a jewel‐ studded harp, every form of weaponry can be fit into one of the following broad categories. Most weapons use PWR for their damage‐modifying attribute, though there are exceptions to this rule. Concealed and Ranged weapons use DEX, Arcane weapons use MND, and Blade weapons and utilize either PWR or RES as the wielder sees fit. Arcane The first selection of weapons is also the most diverse. Arcane weapons have been crafted for the magically‐ inclined in mind, but rarely do any two look the same. The most common Arcane weapon is a staff, a lightweight wood or metal pole that doubles as a walking stick, but this category includes everything from musical instruments to oversized bells, from living dolls to floating energy crystals, Magitek cannons to magical paintbrushes, ancient tomes to tribal drums. They are best used by characters that prefer brains over brawn, such as most mages, and use the user's MND attribute instead of PWR to calculate damage. Regardless of how they look, all Arcane Weapons possess the special property ‘Quick Cast.’ Once per combat a character using an Arcane weapon may activate this property as an Instant action, causing the next spell they cast to be treated as a Standard action instead of a Slow action. Blade The weapon of choice for most adventurers across the globe. While Blades come in many shapes and sizes, from the humble longsword to the elegant rapier, an expertly‐crafted katana to the wickedest‐looking scythe, the keen edge and versatility of these weapons go a long way to accounting for their popularity. Quite a few experienced heroes have come to think of their blades as extensions of their own bodies. Blades are unique weaponry in that they may calculate their damage either with the PWR attribute or the RES attribute, whichever is more beneficial to the user. They also possess the special property ‘Reliable,’ allowing the wielder to reroll one attack per combat and use whichever roll result they prefer. Brawl Whether a simple unarmed strike, a padded leather glove, foot‐long steel claws, or a heavy chair smashed over your opponent’s head, Brawl weapons run the gamut from improvised tools grabbed as a last resort to weapons designed for hand‐to‐hand combat. Standard Brawl weapons possess the ‘Counterattack’ special property; Once per combat, after the character is dealt physical damage by an opponent within Short Range, they may choose to strike back with a physical Counterattack at the enemy that struck the blow. Although redundant, a character cannot counterattack a counterattack, and a counterattack cannot be a Limit Break. Characters may only not use a Counterattack when they’re already in the middle of a Slow action. 121 Randomly‐grabbed makeshift weapons, known as ‘Improbable Weapons’ from here on out, instead possess the ‘Temporary’ special property; they break after only one attack roll. Concealed Often represented by daggers, thrown needles or a deck of sharp‐edged playing cards, Concealed weapons can be easily secreted up a sleeve or underneath a cloak to give the wielder an unexpected edge in combat. Concealed weapons are generally rather small, making them nearly impossible to spot when hidden even with very high levels of Awareness. Alternatively, concealed weapons might be displayed in plain sight, posing as commonplace, innocuous items that the character’s enemies won’t even realize are a threat until it is too late. Concealed weapons calculate damage with the DEX attribute instead of the wielder’s PWR. They also possess the special property ‘Backstab;’ the first attack made each combat by a character wielding a Concealed Weapon does one additional damage step. Huge The ultimate representation of the physically powerful warrior, years of training are required to use Huge Weapons with any degree of grace or elegance. Their weight requires considerable effort on the wielder’s part, but the results can be devastating. Huge weapons might include mauls, sledges, heavy bludgeoning mallets, two‐handed axes, hefty engineering wrenches and more. They possess the special property ‘Heavy Swing’ and are able to send foes flying. Once per combat after making a successful attack, the wielder of a Huge Weapon may choose to make an opposed Force check. If the roll is successful, the targeted enemy suffers a Short Range knockback. Thus, Huge weapons are renowned for their ability to disrupt spellcasters. Ranged Specializing in attacking enemies from a distance, Ranged weapons include bows, guns, juggling balls and oversized shuriken, and everything in between. Ranged weapons require their share of patience to master, but a good marksman’s ability to deal damage from a distance can prove invaluable in many situations. They require precision instead of raw power, and thus use the user's DEX instead of PWR to calculate damage. Finally, they have the aptly‐named weapon property ‘Distance’ which allows the character to attack enemies up to a Medium Range without penalty, and can attack foes at Long Range by taking a ‐4 penalty to attack rolls. Ranged weapons do not suffer any penalties for attacking flying targets. 122 Reach The basic p principle behind the Reach weapon is to gain an advantagge over one’s o opponent by keeeping distancce between th he two of you ‐‐ Spears, lance es, pikes, whipss, heavy chainss and umbrellaas are all primee examples of tthis type of weapon. ess a special prroperty known as ‘Critical Atttack.’ Reach w weapons cause critical hits on n attack rolls th hat They posse result on a dice result of 11‐12 instead of just the stan ndard 12. DualWielding This very raare weapon skill is unlike the e others; it is no ot a weapon caategory itself. Rather, it reprresents the specialized d training needed for a characcter to fight wiith more than one weapon at a time. In praactice, this means a character m may equip a we eapon in each hand, provided a Shield is noot equipped. This grantss the following benefits; first,, the characterr may equip tw wo unique weap pons, gaining tthe weapon properties of both. A character using tw wo Blade weap pons, for exam ple, can use th he Reliable Striike property tw wice n instead of once. If the charaacter was usingg a Ranged weeapon that gran nted +2 PWR aand a Reach weeapon per session that grante ed the HP Drain n property, the e character cou uld make healtth‐restoring attacks from a distance with an improved ccritical range and bonus dam mage, and so on n. Secondly, w whenever the ccharacter makes a 2d6 attack roll while duaal‐wielding, hee may choose tto reroll one diice in hopes for aa better result.. This benefit d does not apply when the charracter makes aa Teamwork Atttack. Finally, whenever a charaacter using two o weapons rolls a critical hit oor uses a Limitt Break, the damage is calculaated owest Tier of w weapon he currently has equipped. Thus, itt is in a player’ss best interest to keep both using the lo weapons equally well‐maaintained in ord der to maximizze damage, an d the constantt money sink o of dual‐wieldingg is the primaryy trade‐off for incredible acccuracy and consistently moree damage. Characters who spend an ny amount of time as a Ninja are capable off dual‐wieldingg, and some rare job abilitiess and well. items can ggrant the abilitty to do so as w 123 Nonpro oficiency A character who doesn’t have access to o the weapon o or armor categgory they are trying to equip CAN still attem mpt to quipment, and d this includes d dual wielding, although the pperks rarely ou utweigh the peenalties. A charracter use such eq who wearss a type of armor their Job do oesn’t provide access to, or hhas a weapon eequipped they’’re not trained d with, suffers a ‐2 2 penalty to the eir ACC and AV VD scores until the start of thheir next turn, and a ‐2 penalty to opposed checks. The ey also do not gain access to any of the pro operties the weeapon or armo or would otherrwise offer. Thiis effect stackks. For example, Tumblewee ed the Black Mage equips a n non‐magical heeavy shield alon ngside his Arcaane weapon. Since o worried abou ut the penalty tto avoidance aand accuracy, aand the Tier 1 sshield doesn’t have any speccial he isn’t too properties that otherwise e wouldn’t ben nefit him, he de ecides that thee slight bonus tto his ARM and d M.ARM scorees are e first level or ttwo. But if he w wanted to duaal‐wield a poleaarm and a huge sword, whilee also worth it – aat least, for the wearing He eavy Armor, he e would suffer an embarrassiing ‐8 penalty tto his accuracyy, avoidance, aand opposed ro olls in combat, an nd would not ggain the one‐dice reroll from dual wielding due to not being trained in itt. Finally, tho ough it probablly goes without saying, a character cannot wear more thaan one set of aarmor at the saame time or use e multiple shields simultaneo ously. ChangiingEquipment A character may stow a ccurrent item an nd equip a diffe erent weapon or accessory aas a Standard aaction. Though Armor cannot b be changed in ccombat at all, ccertain circumsstances may reequire a speciaal GM ruling. normally A Weapon prroperties are tied to the cate egory of weapo on as opposed to individual p pieces of equip pment. This meeans that, after using a blade’ss Reliable Strikke, you may not switch to a d ifferent blade in order to be able to use Reeliable ne combat. You could, however, swap to a Brawl weapon n and use the C Counterattack Strike a seccond time in on property th hat it grants. 124 Univ versall Equiipmen nt Listt This is the important bit, right here. Over the next thrree pages you’ ll find a handfu ul of essential‐‐looking chartss, each n every possible tier of equip pment. Whetheer you’re lookiing to purchasee a run‐of‐the‐‐mill one giving information on k difficulty, and d properties of anything you might dagger or ccook a banquet fit for a princce, the price, syynthesis check need can b be found here. After we baaffle you with these charts, w we’ll provide a list of every poossible equipm ment property and what Tier of item is required. Then, w we’ll demonstraate just how eaasy these chartts are to use byy providing sam mple lists of o‐common geaar. commonplace and not‐so Weapo ons Standard Crafting Type e: Weapons Weapons d deal physical damage equal to (Attribute x W Weapon Tier) + 2d6, where tthe attribute in n question is normally th he wielder’s PW WR. Arcane we eapons use MN ND instead, Co ncealed and Ranged weapon ns utilize DEX, aand Blade weap pons can use R RES or PWR as the user choosses. Weapons h have the most properties of aany piece of eq quipment, makking them invaluable when itt comes to customizing your charactter’s fighting sttyle. nged weapon h has three total equipment prroperties; one o of these HAS to be Distance, For example, a Tier 5 Ran ew pages, and two of these ccan be anythingg found on thee Universal which was discussed on tthe previous fe Properties List that requires a tier 5 weapon or less. Example Craftingg Difficulty Cost Propertiees Name Tier 1 We eapon Practice Blade 150g 1 Eaasy (7) Tier 2 We eapon Irron Broadsword 700g Moderate (9) 2 Tier 3 We eapon Flametongue 2,400g 2 Challeenging (11) 8,500g Impreessive (14) Tier 4 We eapon Rune Saber 3 28,000gg Tier 5 We eapon Ancient Gladius A 3 Herroic (17) Tier 6 We eapon Mythril Edge 90,000gg 3 Supreeme (20) Tier 7 We eapon Sword‐Chucks 280,000gg 4 Godlike (25) Tier 8 We eapon Excalibur N/A 9 Imposssible (30) Armorr Standard Crafting Type e: Armor Angry mon nsters, unscrup pulous soldiers,, bandits, rogues, traitors, orr the occasionaal weekend braawl with the ultimate evvil – an adventurer can find themselves in aany number off scrapes, given n enough time and surprisinggly little effortt. In the heat of battle, even tthe most skilled fighters or d emure mages will find themselves taking tthe odd hit; wh hether or not tthey survive the results is enttirely down to their armor. Just like we eaponry, armo or can look like anything the ccharacter wish es, ranging fro om snazzy business attire to sspiked steel that b barely covers aa scantily‐clad ffemale villain. It isn’t always as simple as protective layerrs of cloth or stteel, either; ‘Arm mor’ might be different scentts of perfume, emotive maskks, gargantuan battlesuits, orr different typees of wildflowers worn in the h hair. How each h unique characcter gets thesee defensive bonuses is totallyy up to them! 125 That said, A Armor always ccomes in three e distinct flavors, each one faavoring a differrent type of deefense; Heavy A Armor is best agaiinst purely phyysical attacks and has the besst ARM score, Light armor heelps weaken m magical onslaugghts, and Medium armor is a n nice balance be etween the two o. The exact vaalues of ARM aand M.ARM forr each tier are listed ond table. on the seco Name Example Cost Propertiees Crafting D Difficulty Tier 1 Arrmor Tier 2 Arrmor Tier 3 Arrmor Tier 4 Arrmor Tier 5 Arrmor Tier 6 Arrmor Tier 7 Arrmor Tier 8 Arrmor Cotton Vest Silk Robes Mage’s Robes Mirage Cloak Black Clothes Farplane Shawl F Protect Cape Robe of Lords 100g 450g 1,500g 5,400g 18,000gg 57,000gg 175,000gg N/A 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 Easy (7) Moderaate (9) Challengiing (11) Impressivve (14) Heroicc (17) Suprem me (20) Godlikee (25) Impossibble (30) Tier 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ligh ht Armor Medium Arm mor ARM M M.ARM 2 6 4 12 10 20 15 35 25 50 30 70 40 100 60 140 ARM 4 8 15 25 35 50 70 100 M.AR RM 4 8 15 5 25 5 35 5 50 0 70 0 100 0 Heavy Armor ARM 6 12 20 35 50 70 100 140 M.ARM 2 4 10 15 25 30 40 60 d Shield Standard Crafting Type e: Armor Utilized priimarily by Warrriors, Paladins, and Red Magges, these rangge in appearancce from lightw weight bucklerss to heavy metaal panels to protect one’s entire body. Theyy occupy a hannd slot to grantt both ARM an nd M.ARM in equal measure, aas well as addittional Avoidancce. Like armor,, the exact valuues can be fouund on the follo owing few pages. M.ARM Examp ple Cosst Propertties ARM A AVD Craftiing Difficulty Name Tier 1 Shield d Buckle er 50 0g 0 2 2 1 Easy (7) Tier 2 Shield d Shell Shiield 150 0g 1 oderate (9) 4 4 1 Mo Tier 3 Shield d Heavy Taarge 550 0g 1 2 Challlenging (11) 7 7 Tier 4 Shield d Venetian Armguard 2,00 00g 1 2 Imp pressive (14) 12 12 Tier 5 Shield d Hero’s Sh hield 6,50 00g 1 3 Heroic (17) 18 18 Tier 6 Shield d Diamond G Guard 20,00 00g 1 3 Sup preme (20) 25 25 Tier 7 Shield d Kaiser W Wall 65,00 00g 1 4 Go odlike (25) 35 35 Tier 8 Shield d Aegis Shield N/A 5 Imp possible (30) 2 50 50 Consu umables Standard Crafting Type e: Alchemy In addition to equipmentt, characters haave access to aa variety of deffensive and offfensive one‐use items that caan give a partyy a considerab ble edge in a figght. Using a consumable takees a Standard aaction that can n generally onlyy 126 target the user, or an ene emy/ally within n a Short Range. Consumablee Items requiree a free hand tto use during would have to drop or sheath one weapon when dual‐wiielding to prod duce a potion –– and combat – sso a character w are remove ed from the ch haracter’s Inven ntory once the ey’ve been use d. Name Tier 1 Consumable Tier 2 Consumable Tier 3 Consumable Tier 4 Consumable Tier 5 Consumable Tier 6 Consumable Tier 7 Consumable Tier 8 Consumable Example Potion Gold Needle Hi‐Potion Phoenix Down Cupid’s Arrow Remedy Elixir Megalixir Cost Propertiees Craftingg Difficulty 20g 50g 200g 600g 3,000g 8,000g 20,000gg N/A 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 Eaasy (7) Moderate (9) Challeenging (11) Challeenging (11) Impreessive (14) Impreessive (14) Herroic (17) Supreeme (20) Accesssories Standard C Crafting Type: TTinkering Ranging fro om leather boo ots to rusty me edallions and m magical clockw work timepiecess, accessories aare trinkets an nd knickknackks that grant th heir wearer add ditional bonuse es. Although geenerally priceyy and rare, these items are invaluable to adventurers who wish to face off againsst the best the world has to o offer. Moreso tthan other piece of operties found on an accesso ory can vary wi ldly. equipmentt, the exact pro Example Propertiees Cost Craftingg Difficulty Name Tier 1 Acce essory Sprint Shoes 250g 1 Eaasy (7) Tier 2 Acce essory Battle Boots 600g 1 Moderate (9) Tier 3 Acce essory Elemental Ring 2,000g 1 Challeenging (11) Tier 4 Acce essory Echo Bangle 7,500g 1 Impreessive (14) Tier 5 Acce essory Tetra Elemental T 25,000gg 1 Herroic (17) Tier 6 Acce essory Reflect Ring 80,000gg 1 Supreeme (20) Tier 7 Acce essory Experience Egg 250,000gg 2 Godlike (25) Tier 8 Acce essory Ribbon N/A 3 Imposssible (30) Food Standard Crafting Type e: Cooking Most food items are fairly mundane. Gingerbread Cacctuar, glazed ccarrot cake and d roasted chimera may fill thee but don’t exacttly win battles on their own m merits. Howeveer, truly skilled d chefs can putt a little something stomach, b extra into ttheir creations, turning an ottherwise ordinaary dish into a repast capablee of spurring eeven jaded warrriors on to greatter achievemen nts. A characte er may only consume a Food item outside o of combat, afteer which point it grants its b bonuses until th he end of the ffollowing game e session. Propertiees Example Cost Craftingg Difficulty Name Tier 1 Fo ood Striped Apple 20g 1 Eaasy (7) Tier 2 Fo ood Ho omemade Bread d 50g Mod erate (9) 1 Tier 3 Fo ood Moogle Pie 1 200g Challeenging (11) Tier 4 Fo ood Ocean Sushi 600g 2 Challeenging (11) Tier 5 Fo ood Dragon Steak 2,000g 2 Impreessive (14) Tier 6 Fo ood Raainbow Croissant 6,500g 2 Impreessive (14) Elysian Éclair 20,000g Tier 7 Fo ood g 3 Herroic (17) Tier 8 Fo ood Whitte Truffle Omele ette N/A 4 Supreeme (20) 127 Universal Property List The following pages describe all Equipment Properties, which are special keywords granted to the user through the use of equipped items or consumed potions and food. Each one grants different benefits. Each heading in the following section consists of a property’s name (such as Lucky or Indestructible), as well as a second heading that notes if the property can be given to a Weapon, Armor, type of Food, a Consumable such as a potion, or an Accessory. Many items on this list can apply to multiple types of equipment, and note that weapon properties cannot ‘stack’ unless explicitly stated – for example, a character could not have Humanoid Killer on both his Weapon as well as his Accessory in order to gain the effects of it multiple times. Likewise, such effects cannot occur simultaneously. For example, a character may not use both Lightning Strike and Fire Strike simultaneously to do both types of elemental damage; he must choose one or the other before attacking. If a character is dual wielding and each weapon has the Spellburst property, he may only cast one of the two spells on a critical hit. And so on. Tier 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Properties Auto‐Status, Pugilist, Broken, [Element] Ward, Explosive, HP Restore, Limited, MP Restore, Special Ability, [Status] Heal Accurate, Attribute Bonus, [Element] Strike, Fragile, Gemini, Glowing, Impact, Jagged, MP Damage, [Monster] Eater, Sentient, Skill Bonus, SOS‐Status, Status Proof, Status Touch, Unified, Virulent Alchemist, [Element] Enhancer, [Element]‐Proof, Fortified, Indestructible, [Monster] Killer, Spellburst, Variable Follow‐Through, Stoic, Resurrection [Element] Field, HP Drain, MP Refresh, [Monster] Slayer, Triple Critical Imperil, Overdrive, Party Effect, Piercing, Remedy, Therapeutic Lucky, Precision Break Damage Limit, Impervious, Peerless Accurate: Tier 2/5 Accessory Wearing this relic confers a +1 bonus to the user’s ACC score, +1 bonus to their AVD score, or a +2 bonus on all opposed rolls. A Tier 5 or better version of this property doubles these values. This property may be added multiple times, but a different bonus must be chosen each time. Alchemist: Tier 3 Weapon, Accessory, Food A character that possesses this property may improve the healing capacity of any item with the HP Restore or MP Restore property, treating it as if it was two tiers higher than it really is. An item that normally restores 25% health restores 50% instead, an item that restores 50% MP now grants 75% instead, and so on. Attribute Bonus: Tier 2 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Food (example; +2 DEX) The item increases the indicated Attribute by +2 as long as it remains equipped ‐ thus, a character with PWR 14 using a +2 PWR weapon would have an effective PWR of 16. This ability can be added multiple times and ‘stacks’ from multiple pieces of equipment. If applied from a Tier 8 Food item, the bonus granted is doubled. 128 Auto‐[Status]: Tier 1/6 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Food (example; Auto‐Haste) The item adds the indicated Status Condition to the character using it at all times. Status Conditions added in this manner cannot be removed through the use of Spells or Abilities such as Dispel. The exception to this is Auto‐Life, which cancels as normal if used to resurrect the character and will not be re‐added for the remainder of a battle. A Tier 1 weapon is required for Negative status effects, and a Tier 6 weapon is required for Positive status effects. This ability can be added multiple times, with a different Auto‐Status each time. Break Damage Limit: Tier 8 Weapon, Accessory This ability is only found naturally on Artifact‐level weapons, though a skilled Engineer might be able to craft a weapon or piece or armor with this property. It allows the user of such equipment to do more than 999 damage in a single round, whether the damage is magical or physical (or both!) in nature. Broken: Tier 1 Weapon/Armor While Broken equipment remains equipped on a character, the user cannot utilize any job ability that requires a weapon/armor (as appropriate) or calculates damage with a Weapon/Armor Tier, such as a Samurai’s Draw Out or a Warrior’s Meteorain. When wielding a broken weapon, a character is unable to perform critical hits and they deals two fewer steps of damage on all attacks, to a minimum of one (For example, a character with a Tier 4 broken weapon might deal PWR x 2 damage instead of PWR x 4). Ruined armor is treated as having ARM and M.ARM values of zero. A character may attempt to repair Broken equipment once per session outside of combat with a successful skill check – usually Synthesis (Weapons/Armor), but some strange cases might call for Healing or Systems instead – at the same difficulty required to synthesize an item of that tier from scratch. After Broken equipment is repaired, this property is removed. Broken does not count toward the maximum number of armor/weapon properties that equipment is allowed to possess. [Element] Enhancer: Tier 3/5 Weapon, Accessory, Food (example; Fire Enhancer) The item is sympathetic to a particular kind of elemental energy, raising the power of all attacks associated with that element. Any attack, Job Ability or Spell that deals elemental damage belonging to the type enhanced by the item inflicts an additional one step of damage; in the case of Holy Enhancer, this also allows all recovery spells to restore an additional step of HP. Characters can combine Element Enhancer and Element Strike for powerful basic attacks. Shadow or Holy Enhancer‐type weapons require the base equipment to be Tier 5, not Tier 3. [Element] Field: Tier 5/7/8 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Consumable (example; Fire Field) This item is so in tune with a singular element that it can cause the environment around the holder to change appropriately; swirling sandstorms, piercingly‐cold blizzards, rolling thunderstorms….or perhaps the pitch‐black tendrils of shadow. As a consumable, using this item instantly creates the appropriate Elemental Terrain type, chosen when the item is created or purchased; Fire, Ice, Wind, Water, Earth, or Lightning. A Tier 7 item is required to create Shadow or Holy terrain instead. The effects of this terrain last until the end of combat, and while the Elemental Field lasts, all spells and attacks of the same elemental type deal an additional two steps of damage. As equipment, this property works a little differently. You receive the effects of the Elemental Spikes spell for the chosen elemental type, and whenever you score a critical hit with an Elemental Field weapon, or suffer a critical hit while wearing Elemental Field armor or an accessory, you create the appropriate Elemental Field. Again, this effect lasts until the end of combat or until the field is changed by another spell or effect. As a Tier 8 effect, the character using such equipment can create the appropriate Elemental Field freely as an instant action. 129 [Element]‐Proof: Tier 3/5 Armor, Accessory, Food (example; Fire Proof) Such equipment provides total Immunity to a single element. Fire, Ice, Wind, Thunder, Earth and Water can be negated with Tier 3 or better gear; Tier 5 equipment is required for Holy or Shadow Proof. This ability can be added multiple times, with a different elemental immunity each time. [Element] Strike: Tier 2/5 Weapon, Accessory, Food (example; Fire Strike) The weapon has an affinity to one of the eight Elements: Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Lightning, Ice, Shadow, or Holy, and all damage dealt by the attack is of that elemental type. A Tier 2 or better weapon can be attuned to most of the elemental types, but Holy or Shadow weapons require a Tier 5 or better piece of equipment. Characters with access to multiple different Elemental Strikes – from job abilities, for example – choose one of the elements whenever they make an attack roll. [Element] Ward: Tier 1/4 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Food (example; Fire Ward) Wearing this piece of equipment confers the character Resistance to the indicated Element. A Tier 4 weapon is required to obtain Resistance to Holy or Shadow. This ability can be added multiple times, with a different Elemental resistance each time. Explosive: Tier 1 Weapon, Armor, Consumable Generally a detrimental effect applied by the Engineer’s ‘Invent’ ability, an Explosive item that is destroyed – or, in the case of a consumable item, thrown – deals (User’s PWR x Item Tier) + 2d6 points of Fire or nonelemental damage, whichever is more effective, in a local area. Fragile: Tier 1 Weapon, Armor, Accessory The equipment is made from an easily‐damageable material, such as a delicate golden adornment or a finely‐ crafted robe. Whenever the wearer of Fragile equipment deals a critical hit or is dealt critical damage, suffers falling damage or is reduced to zero hit points, the Fragile equipment is instantly destroyed. However, there is an upside to this; any equipment with the Fragile property gains one additional property, and is treated as being one Tier higher than it really is for the purpose of adding properties. Thus, a character with a Tier 3 sword could have Fragile, Follow‐Through and Shadow Ward on this weapon. Fragile cannot be combined with the Indestructible property. Follow‐Through: Tier 4 Weapon, Food On a successful Critical Hit, the wielder may make another immediate attack action on the original target, or on a second target within Short Range of the first. Follow Through will not activate again if this second attack is a Critical Hit. Limit Breaks do not activate Follow Through. Fortified: Tier 3/7 Armor This exclusive‐to‐armor property increases the ARM and M.ARM scores granted by the armor by 25%, or 50% if possessed by the Tier 7 version. Gemini: Tier 2/4 Weapon, Armor The equipment is highly irregular, either a combination of standard weapon types, or able to change its shape or form for multiple different purposes. For example, it might be a spiked shield that both provides defense as well as being usable as a Blade weapon, or it might be a powerful magic rod which the wielder can swing to release a half‐ dozen wires with hooked tips which latch onto enemies like a fishing rod. It might be a large cannon that can fire 130 ranged bullets capable of knocking its opponents backwards, or it might be a spear that can break down into several lesser weapons. A Gemini weapon is generally two different types of weapons, and gets the automatic weapon properties of both; for example, a Gunblade might serve as both a Piercing weapon as well as have the ability to fire rounds of ammunition or explosive bursts of pressurized air at range, making it also a Ranged weapon. If a character is proficient with one of the types of weapons the Gemini equipment is treated as, he may use the Gemini weapon normally. For example, a Black Mage could use an Arcane/Huge weapon and suffer no penalties, even though Huge equipment isn’t something they’re proficient with normally. As a Tier 4 or better piece of equipment, the distinction changes. Design two different pieces of equippable gear that may or may not be the same weapon category. Each one may have entirely different weapon properties, but they must both have the Gemini property. The character may transform his weapon from one to the other as a Standard action. For example, a character might utilize a classical violin (a tier 6 Arcane weapon) with the Spellburst, +2 Perform and Gemini properties. However, the stringed instrument can also act as a bow with only a few changes, a Ranged weapon with the Gemini, Piercing and Triple Critical properties. Gemini armor is always Light or Heavy armor, and as Standard action, the user can swap their ARM and M.ARM values. This allows them to be either heavily resistant to physical attacks or magical attacks as different situations require. Glowing: Tier 2 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Consumable The item sheds a constant dim light that can be increased with a command, illuminating even the darkest of locations. Glowing equipment negates penalties caused by Difficult Terrain relating to darkness. Impact: Tier 2 Weapon, Accessory With the Impact property, your attacks are so powerful they can sunder through walls and obstacles. Whenever you target an opponent that’s protected by a non‐magical barrier of some sort – such as being encased in a vehicle or hiding behind a thick stone wall – you may make a Force check to destroy that object as part of your attack roll. If the Force check succeeds, you are able to damage your opponent normally AND your damage step for the attack is increased by one as your opponent is showered in debris. Imperil: Tier 6 Weapon Having this weapon equipped allows the user to rip through the supernatural defenses of their enemies. When the user of this weapon calculates magical damage, they ignore the M.ARM score of their targets. Impervious: Tier 8 Armor, Accessory Wearing this equipment grants the wearer the Impervious monster ability, generally reserved for bosses and their ilk. Impervious renders the wearer immune to all negative status effects other than Fear and Unconsciousness. Indestructible: Tier 3 Weapon, Armor, Accessory Weapons and Armor with this ability cannot be destroyed with normal means. No forge can reshape them, no spell or attack can break them. In some rare cases, such items CAN be destroyed, but the means to do so are usually campaign‐based. Indestructible cannot be combined with the Fragile property. Jagged: Tier 2 Armor The equipment is covered with sharp spikes, protrusions or even thorns. Whenever you’re struck by a Short Range spell or attack, your opponent takes (Force x Half Level) points of damage that ignores ARM, Protect, and all other types of damage reduction. 131 HP Drain: Tier 5 Weapon, Accessory, Food In addition to dealing damage, every successful Attack with this weapon restores the wielder's Hit Points by an amount equivalent to 50% of the damage inflicted by the Attack after modifying for Armor. Because you can’t actually inflict more damage than a target foe has HP, the value restored by HP Drain will never exceed 50% of a target’s remaining health. Undead opponents reverse this ability, causing the character to suffer 50% of the damage dealt as M.ARM damage. HP Restore: Tier 1/3/5/7 Food, Consumable When consumed, this item immediately restores a flat percentage value of hit points. Tier 1 consumables and food restore 25% of a character’s maximum health, Tier 3 restores 50%, Tier 5 restores 75%, and Tier 7 restores 100%. HP Restore has no effect on unconscious targets. Limited: Tier 1 Accessory The item only works in specific situations, such as when deep underground or when the user is at full MP. You may add two additional equipment properties to the item, OR you may add one additional equipment property and treat the equipment as if it was one Tier higher than it really is. Limited accessories can only be created with GM approval. Lucky: Tier 7 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Food A Lucky character has an improved chance to strike his enemies’ weak points, and the character’s critical hit rate is increased by 1. They generally roll critical hits on results of 11‐12. MP Damage: Tier 2 Weapon, Accessory Rather than doing normal damage, each successful Attack made with this weapon inflicts 50% damage to the target's HP and 50% to its MP. If the target does not have an MP score, then this weapon property is ignored and all combat damage is dealt to HP, as normal. MP Refresh: Tier 5 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Food In addition to dealing damage, whenever a character with this property deals physical damage, they regain magic points by an amount equivalent to 50% of the damage inflicted. MP Restore: Tier 1/3/5/7 Food, Consumable When consumed, this item immediately restores a flat percentage value of magic points. Tier 1 consumables and food restore 25% of a character’s maximum MP, Tier 3 restores 50%, Tier 5 restores 75%, and Tier 7 restores 100%. MP Restore has no effect on unconscious targets. [Monster] Eater: Tier 2 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Food (example; Dragon Eater) Whenever a character equipping a weapon with this ability slays a monster of the appropriate type, the wielder gains back an amount of HP and MP equal to the amount of damage done in the same round. This ability can be added multiple times, with a different Monster Eater each time. [Monster] Killer: Tier 3 Weapon, Accessory (example; Dragon Killer) The weapon is designed to assist with not‐so‐natural selection. All damage done to creatures of the appropriate type is increased to 200%, whether magical or physical in nature. This property can be added multiple times, listing a different type of monster each time. 132 [Monster]‐Slayer: Tier 5 Weapon, Armor, Accessory (example; Dragon Slayer) The equipment is designed for those heroes with a score yet to be settled. Just like the [Monster] Killer property noted above, Monster Slayer causes all attacks made by the character to deal 200% damage to creatures of that species. Furthermore, any adversary of the listed type who attempts to strike the character must succeed at an opposed Finesse check; if the attacker succeeds, they may continue with their turn normally. If the character with the [Monster] Slayer equipment succeeds, their foe is inflicted with the negative status effect Fear until the start of their next turn. Overdrive: Tier 6 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Food It is said that this weapon is tied to its wielder's spirit, and that the color and capabilities of the blade will shift to reflect the heart and mind of a strong‐willed fighter. When using this weapon, a character may utilize Limit Breaks at 50% or less health, as though they had the Limit Breaker job ability. Party Effect: Tier 6 Accessory, Food, Consumable This property does nothing by itself, but instead allows the wearer/user to grant all the other effects of this item to his allies. For example, a Party Effect amulet might bathe the hero’s comrades in a quiet halo of light at all times, granting them a fraction of his power. A Party Effect food might be a banquet large enough to feed dozens, an inspiring feast before the day of battle. Peerless: Tier 8 Food, Consumable When this item is used, it grants the user immunity to all damage and effects caused by hostile Limit Abilities, Limit Breaks, and critical hits caused by enemies. If Peerless is granted by a consumable, the effects last until the end of combat. Piercing: Tier 6 Weapon This weapon is designed to pierce defenses both natural and man‐made. The target's ARM value is ignored when calculating damage from a weapon with Piercing. Precision: Tier 7 Weapon, Armor, Accessory, Food The item is both supernaturally accurate and also grants its wielder a sixth sense when it comes to avoiding attacks. The wielder of such a weapon receives a bonus to ACC equal to half his Force score and a bonus to his AVD equal to half his Finesse score. Pugilist: Tier 1 Weapon, Armor, Accessory A character who has access to the Pugilist equipment property is skilled at fighting unarmed, equally adept into wading into a fight barehanded as a warrior armed to the teeth. You gain access to the Pugilist weapon category while this item remains equipped. Instead of unarmed attacks dealing (PWR x 1) + 2d6 points of damage, they are calculated as (PWR x Half Level) + 2d6 instead. And finally, the user may choose to deal (PWR x Half Level) + 2d6 points of damage when using an Improbable weapon if the size and lethality of the weapon would otherwise cause it to be calculated as less than that. Remedy: Tier 6 Food, Consumable This item immediately heals the eater/drinker of all negative status ailments except Fear. Unfortunately, some status ailments can actually prevent a character from being able to use a Remedy item; for example, a petrified target might have their mouth closed or covered, and a zombified target is often more interested in eating your brains than any other delicacy. 133 Resurre ection: Tier 44 Consumable When this item is ingeste ed by an uncon nscious ally (no o easy feat!), it immediately rreturns the falllen target backk to 1 be combined w with the HP Resstore effect to grant more heealth than just the default on ne point. HP. It can b Sentient: Tier 2/5/7 W Weapon, Armo or, Accessory The weapo on or piece of e equipment hass a mind of its o own, capable oof forming – an nd often, voicin ng! – its own opinions. udmouthed spe ear with a heavy accent and a hatred for sttealthy approaaches might no ot always be the While a lou most belovved travelling ccompanion, having an extra sset of eyes (or whatever!) is aalways beneficcial. Wheneverr you fail an Alertness skill checck, you may re‐roll the checkk with a total b onus equal to the tier of you ur Sentient weaapon or armor. n of Tier 5 or higher, the weappon or armament also allowss this skill rero oll to If the Sentiient property iss on a weapon occur on a failed Languagge or Lore skill check; again, w with a total boonus equal to the weapon’s tier. An Elvaan or example, wo ould likely be ffluent in its ow wn language as well as a smatttering of others, and would have gauntlet, fo much ancie ent knowledge e at its disposall. Furthermore e, a Sentient weeapon of Tier 55 or higher can n continue to aattack even when n it’s wielder is afflicted with the negative status effects FFear or Stun, orr unconscious. They cannot m move from the hand of their usser, however. of Sentient gear will avoid striking the charaacter’s allies whenever possible; the playerr may A Tier 7 of higher piece o oose to turn a w weapon‐based physical attacck roll into a criitical miss wheenever they choose. always cho Skill Bon nus: Tier 2/77 Weapon, Arm mor, Accessoryy, Food, Consum mable (example; + +2 Scavenge) The item provides a +2 to o rolls for any ssingle skill, such as a short m etal blade designed to cut pu urse strings an nd o Thievery che ecks. The Tier 7 7 version of thi s item providees a gigantic +5 5 bonus to the skill garments ggranting a +2 to instead, representing a su upernatural inspiration more e than any munndane level of skill. nus granted is doubled; thus,, an ancient, Tiier 7 Rosetta stone might graant a +10 bonu us to As a consumable, the bon Language sskill checks for a one‐time usage. This property cannot be u used to improvve a character’’s Synthesis skiill check, but th he effects do sstack. SOS‐[Sta atus]: Tier 22 Weapon, Arm mor, Accessoryy, Food (example; SSOS‐Reflect) The item adds the indicatted Status Con ndition to the ccharacter usingg it if they are rreduced to 25% % of their maximum during the course of a battle.. Status Condittions added in this manner caannot be remo oved through tthe Hit Points d use of Spells or Abilities ssuch as Dispel; they will only be cancelled iff the characterr's current Hit Points are raissed beyond 25% of their maxximum value orr the battle ends. The excepttion to this is SSOS‐Auto‐Life, w which cancels as used to resurrect the characte er and will not be re‐added ffor the remaind der of that batttle. This propeerty normal if u can be add ded multiple tim mes, with a diffferent SOS‐Staatus each time . Special Ability: Tierr 1 Weapon, AArmor, Accessoory, Consumabble, Food The weapo on possesses a unique talent outside of those described hhere. It may allow a character to use a Job A Ability they would d not normally have access to o, enhance a cu urrent one, or be something altogether new. As a Special Ability could be almost an nything, it is hiighly recomme ended that GM Ms use cautiouss judgment wh hen allowing ear with this we eapon propertty. characters to purchase and describe ge ples; Following is a few examp o have an arm‐‐mounted pulse cannon, com mplete with Josh wantss his android to computer ttargeting syste em. After some e discussion, th hey settle on thhe ‘Lock‐On’ feature; Affter a foe is stru uck in combat by a ranged atttack by Josh’s pulse cannon,, the gunnerr receives a +2 temporary mo odifier to their ACC against thhat target until they miss. Meg wantss her Geomanccer to use a wh hip, with more concern aboutt defense than n offense. Theyy sit down and decide thatt a good prope erty would be tto give Meg an n automatic 50 % chance to au utomatically su ucceed on a Diisarm check without needing to o make an opposed roll. 134 Spellburst: Tier 2/8 W Weapon, Acceessory, Consum mable Upon a crittical hit, a weapon with the SSpellburst will ccast a specific magical spell. TThe wielder m may also choosee to cast the spell directly from the item forr no MP as a Sttandard Actionn, with a 25% chance to destrroy the item (1 100% ble). Only one sspell can be cast on a critical hit, and a character who purchases or creaates if the item is a Consumab an item witth the Spellburrst property must be able to cast the choseen spell themseelves, without the expenditure of Destiny. So ome GMs may allow specific SSpellburst item ms to be purch ased on a casee‐by‐case basiss. If an Indesttructible item w would be destroyed by force efully using Speellburst, it doess not break ‐ ho owever, the Spellburst property is forrever removed. magic, the Osm mose or Esuna sspells. Only legendary Spellburst equipment iss capable of casting Rank 5 m [Status]] Heal: Tier 11/2 Food, Consumable (example; P Poison Heal) When this item is ingeste ed, it immediattely heals the u user of the listeed status effecct. A Tier 2 or b better item can n e effects of Berrserk, Blind, Co onfuse, Transfo orm, Poison, Cuurse, Sleep, Stoop, or Zombie. A Tier 3 or bettter remove the item is required for the sttatus effects P Petrify, Seal, Slo ow, Charm, or Fear. This prop perty can be ad dded multiple h a different staatus healed eaach time. times, with [Status]]‐Proof: Tieer 2/4/6 Weapoon, Armor, Acccessory, Food (example; P Poison Proof) Wearing th his piece of equ uipment confers the characte er Immunity too the indicated d Status Condittion type. A Tieer 2 or better weaapon can preve ent the status e effects Berserkk, Blind, Confusse, Transform, Poison, Curse, Sleep, Stop, or Zombie. A TTier 4 or better weapon is re equired for the status effects Petrify, Seal, SSlow and Charm m. A Tier 6 piece of equipmentt can grant Imm munity to the sstatus effect Feear, or you mayy choose an im mmunity to anyy two of the lesser status effects listed. This property can b be added multtiple times, witth a different status immunitty each time. [Status]] Touch: Tieer 2/5 Weaponn, Accessory, CConsumable, Foood (example; P Poison Touch) You can atttempt to add tthe specified negative status condition to thhe target on a successful weapon attack byy choosing to o deal 50% dam mage, or by using a Consumaable item on ann unwilling targget. The foe m must make an opposed Fo orce or Finesse e check. If you win, the statuss condition is aapplied to the ttarget for the standard four rounds. n can cause the status effects Berserk, Blindd, Confuse, Curse, Poison, Sleeep, Stop, or A Tier 2 or better weapon equired for the status effects Petrify, Slow, Transform, Sea al, or Zombie. A TTier 5 or better weapon is re Charm. Thiis property can n be added multiple times, with a different Status Touch eeach time. Stoic: Tieer 4/7 Armor, AAccessory Whenever an opponent sspends one or more points of Destiny durinng combat, pment recoverss 25% of their total maximum m HP and the wearerr of Stoic equip MP. This efffect can only ttrigger once pe er round. At Tie er 7 or higher, the character rrecovers 50% o of their max HP P and MP inste ead. Triple C Critical: Tier 5 Weapon, Acccessory, Food Any criticall hits caused byy this weapon inflict 300% ph hysical damagee, rather than the normal 200%. Therape eutic: Tier 6 Weapon, Acceessory Even the m most menacing‐‐looking blades exude a healing light when combined witth this propertyy, and arrows fired from a The erapeutic weap pon explode intto clouds of iridescent dust uupon connectin ng with a solid surface. When never a characterr with the Therrapeutic prope erty deals damaage to an enem my, whichever PC has the low west current hit point value e regains 25% o of their max HP P. 135 Since Therapeutic weapons draw strength from both their wielder and their owner’s powerful foes to function, they cannot be used to heal allies between fights. Unified: Tier 2 Weapon, Armor, Accessory The weapon or armor is a part of you, and it is nearly impossible to separate you from such ‘equipment’ without extraordinary means. This generally manifests as biomechanical appendages or prosthetics, such as a massive steam‐powered arm or a gun replacing a hand. In more rare circumstances, this might be a powerful singing voice used as a weapon, a tattoo that infuses the character’s arms with strength, or a jewel embedded into a hero’s forehead. A Unified weapon or armor cannot be separated from the user whether through spells, limit breaks, or combat maneuvers such as a Disarm attempt, though it can still be Broken (even if this manifests as a physical injury such as a damaged windpipe). Unified weapons can be automatically repaired at the start of every game session (or, at the GM’s discretion, after several in‐game days have passed) with a need for a skill check or gil investiture. The downside is that Unified equipment rarely uses any of the usual Synthesis skills to create, and players using such weapons or armor would probably find it wise to invest in something akin to Synthesis (Tattoos) or Synthesis (Lyrics) instead, as appropriate. Variable: Tier 3 Consumable, Food Add one additional property to the consumable or food, with various different effects within the category; for example, [Status] Touch, which could apply a variety of different status effects. With the Variable property, you don’t need to choose the specific status ahead of time, and instead may make the decision when the consumable is used. Variable items are treated as being one Tier higher than they really are for the purposes of determining the purchase/synthesis cost. Virulent: Tier 2 Weapon You prefer to overcome your foes by crippling them with negative statuses and other detrimental effects. With this weapon equipped, your enemies will still suffer a magical backlash when they manage to shake off the effects of your spells. Whenever the wielder of this weapon casts a spell that requires a successful opposed roll, they may deal (PWR x Half Level) point of non‐elemental M.ARM damage if they fail the roll. LegendaryEquipment Legendary weapons are the pinnacles of power when it comes to heroic armaments; they often possess special abilities that puts lesser equipment to shame. Players should never stumble across Legendary gear in dusty treasure chests or abandoned storerooms; rather, these powerful items have stories and histories of their own, and might even serve as the focal point for high‐level quests. In addition to the listed properties, all Legendary Weapons, Armor, and Accessories have a few additional perks. First, such an item ‘finds’ an owner, it cannot be used by anyone else unless the current user passes away, or chooses to willingly give it to another owner. In the hands of anyone other than the weapon’s true owner, it acts as a Tier 8 item with only the ‘Indestructible’ property and standard ARM and M.ARM values if applicable. Furthermore, the character that owns the item can cause it to instantly appear in their hands as a Standard action, no matter the distance or obstacles between them. SynthesizingLegendaryEquipment In addition to the Godlike skill difficulty of creating such a magnificent piece of gear, one additional hurdle must be overcome; a Component must be obtained from which the item can be feasibly crafted, whether this be the frozen pollen of a flower known as the Goddess’ Bloom, n ancient dragon’s tooth, lumber from the world tree or whatever else the GM deems appropriate. 136 SampleWeapons Name Type Cost Effect Difficulty Petalchaser Sage’s Staff Soul Saber Regal Cutlass Vigilante Ironside Mage Masher Blackjack Kotetsu Dragon Claws Aura Lance Valiant Kikuichimonji Berserker Axe Blood Sword Assassin Knife The Ogre Scarecrow Coffinmaker AncientSword Defender Heartbreaker Obelisk Ascalon Genji Blade Destroyers Illumina Yoichi Bow Mop Nirvana Excalibur Masamune Final Heaven SaveTheQueen Apocalypse Deathbringer Artemis Bow Gungnir Tier 2 Arcane Tier 2 Arcane Tier 2 Blade Tier 2 Blade Tier 2 Blade Tier 2 Brawl Tier 2 Concealed Tier 2 Ranged Tier 3 Blade Tier 3 Brawl Tier 3 Reach Tier 4 Blade Tier 4 Blade Tier 4 Huge Tier 5 Blade Tier 5 Concealed Tier 5 Huge Tier 5 Huge Tier 5 Ranged Tier 6 Blade Tier 6 Blade Tier 6 Ranged Tier 6 Reach Tier 7 Arcane Tier 7 Blade Tier 7 Brawl Tier 7 Huge Tier 7 Ranged Tier 7 Reach Tier 8 Arcane Tier 8 Blade Tier 8 Blade Tier 8 Brawl Tier 8 Concealed Tier 8 Huge Tier 8 Huge Tier 8 Ranged Tier 8 Reach 700g 700g 700g 700g 700g 700g 700g 700g 2,400g 2,400g 2,400g 8,500g 8,500g 8,500g 28,000g 28,000g 28,000g 28,000g 28,000g 90,000g 90,000g 90,000g 90,000g 280,000g 280,000g 280,000g 280,000g 280,000g 280,000g N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Transform between weapon and rose with Instant action Spellburst: Varies, Fragile Runic has a 25% chance of failure instead of 50% +2 Negotiate +1 AVD at the start of each combat until you take damage +4 PWR when you have 3 or more Chain Points accumulated MP Damage Jinx job ability may be used even without Bad Luck Fiend Killer Dragon Killer Spellburst: Flash SOS‐Protect, grants access to First Strike job ability Earth Proof, Instantly grants Flight for two rounds/session Auto‐Berserk, +2 PWR +2 PWR, HP Drain Humanoid Slayer, grants access to Assassin’s Kiss job ability Triple Critical, emanates growl when wielder is being lied to HP Drain, MP Refresh Seal Touch, Spellburst: Seal Petrify‐Proof, Petrify Touch Holy Enhancer, Auto‐Protect Charm Touch, Piercing Overdrive, +4 PWR if you are smaller than your target Auto‐Life, Alchemy, Therapeutic When dualwielding; Break Damage Limit, Auto‐Haste, Lucky Follow‐Through, Overdrive, Auto‐Haste Indestructible, Holy Strike, Blind Touch Lucky, Precision, No ACC penalty caused by Difficult Terrain Follow‐Through, Water Strike, Spellburst: Mighty Guard See information below See information below See information below See information below See information below See information below See information below See information below See information below Challenging (11) Challenging (11) Challenging (11) Challenging (11) Challenging (11) Challenging (11) Challenging (11) Challenging (11) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Mop: Known only as the weapon of ‘that guy who hit people with a mop,’ this object appears to be little more than a long wooden pole topped with a slightly‐damp mass of coarse yarn. In the right hands, however, it is of nearly unparalleled power. (Seriously, you should have seen the guy, he was mowing down legions with this thing.) Artemis Bow: Named after the goddess of the hunt, this cold steel bow was destroyed in combat and its pieces were returned to the dwarves who first created it, hoping that it could be re‐forged. As the dwarves had forged the weapon, it was concluded that only they could repair it. Whether or not they succeeded is the stuff of legends. Properties include Indestructible, Break Damage Limit, +4 DEX, Beast Slayer, Plant Slayer, and Spellburst: Angel Snack. It also allows the user to use the Ranger’s limit ability, Sharpshot, once per game session with no associated Destiny cost. Apocalypse: While the origins of many legendary weapons are shrouded in mystery, the story of Apocalypse is surprisingly simplistic. It was designed as a weapon to be used in the war between an ancient civilization and the Espers, capable of defeating both sides should the need arise. What Apocalypse lacks in sheer destructive power it more than makes up for with its unparalleled magical defenses. The wielder of this blade is immune to all damage from all elemental types. Deathbringer: Many any legends surround this ominous scythe, spoken in hushed voices and whispered terrors, and told and retold by all of the intelligent races. The legends tell of one of the legendary Heroes in ages past that took up arms against a great demon. Upon their victory he crafted this weapon from one of the claws of the fallen devil, tempered in hellfire and 137 cooled it in the waters of the Styx; the river of death itself. In the aftermath, the wielder of the Deathbringer residence atop the throne of the demon the four heroes had battled against so bravely. The demons and monstrosities that did not bow to him were crushed mercilessly, and he ruled with fear. Some legends say that the Deathbringer brought the surrounding area into an unending darkness as it absorbed the very light from its surroundings, and tendrils of black shadow began to encroach the nearby lands. The ending to this ill‐omened tale has become little more than a children’s bedtime story; Parents tell of the White Knight, one of the evil man’s former friends who came to find him. Whatever they may have spoke of matters little and is known by none, but the battle that rocked the demon’s citadel for two days and nights is spoken of often. In the end, the white knight emerged, barely alive and unarmed, and passed away in peace. Folklore states that the Deathbringer and Excalibur lie together in the heart of the obsidian citadel, one emanating perpetual light, and the other, forever devouring it. But these are, of course, merely legends. Deathbringer possesses the following properties; Indestructible, Break Damage Limit, Shadow Strike, Shadow Enhancer, HP Drain, SOS‐Berserk, Spellburst: Death, and grants the user the ability to absorb Shadow damage. Excalibur: Many legendary weapons have been carried into battle in ages long past, but none so hallowed or oft‐spoken of as the Excalibur, the blade of the gods themselves. How it came to be is unknown; stories say that it was first used by a dusty‐ haired youth, innocent and unarmored and with eyes unprepared to see the world pass away, carrying only a sword forged from an unknown metal and pulsing with white‐hot light. Excalibur has the following abilities; Indestructible, Break Damage Limit, Holy Enhancer, Glowing, MP Restore, Auto‐Protect, Spellburst: Holy, and when a character with Excalibur uses the Holy Circle paladin job ability, the damage is increased to 300% on Undead foes instead of the usual 200%. Final Heaven: Monks of great age and wisdom speak freely about this weapon, citing its immense power and ability to bring much good into the world. When questioned about prior owners, however, they grow silent, insisting only that “there is much we do not know.” Unlike all other weapons, the monks say, the Final Heaven will find you – if you are truly worthy to bear it. Its properties are generally Indestructible, Break Damage Limit, Follow Through, Auto‐Haste, +4 PWR, Triple Critical, and Overdrive. Gungnir: Forged in the fiery breath of the first dragon herself, Gungnir possesses the Indestructible, Break Damage Limit, Piercing, Overdrive, Dragon Eater, and Precision properties, and its current whereabouts are unknown. When a Dragoon wielding Gungnir uses Ancient Circle, the effects of Dragon Killer remain on the Dragoon until the end of combat, although they fade from all affected party members after several rounds, as normal. In addition, whenever a character that attacks with Gungnir misses their mark, they gain a +10 bonus to their ACC score for their next attack. This effect is cumulative ‐ two misses in a row grants a +20 bonus, etc. As soon as an attack hits, the effects of this enormous bonus are lost. Masamune: The Masamune is currently in the treasure trove of a great and cunning beast, who spreads rumors of its whereabouts in order to gleefully devour and slaughter those that seek it out. The weapon possesses the Indestructible, Break Damage Limit, Triple Critical, Piercing, Overdrive, and Spellburst: Barrier properties. Anyone who uses the Masamune automatically receives one additional Standard action every round; this can be combined with the Haste status to allow a single character three standard actions every round, the maximum allowed. Nirvana: In addition to granting the usual Indestructible and Break Damage Limit properties, this shimmering staff topped with a perfectly‐cut fragment of crystal increases the damage dealt with every sort of magical spell and effect under the sun by 50%, including non‐elemental effects such as most Time Magic or the Ultima spell. It practically pulses with energy when held by any casting Job. Most importantly, Nirvana has the Special Ability ‘One MP Cost’, reducing the MP cost of all spells of less than Ancient rank to merely one point of MP. Ancient spells are unchanged. Finally, all friendly Summons Rank 3 or lower deal 200% damage at all times when a character has obtained the Nirvana, and all Espers – no matter their Rank ‐ also gain the Break Damage Limit ability. Save The Queen: Only six inches in length, smaller than most daggers, Save the Queen is by far one of the most delicate weapon to ever demonstrate usefulness in combat – as well as one of the most powerful. Created entirely out of a single piece of Orichalcum, this artifact dagger is currently carried by a greedy merchant with only the faintest idea of its true worth. Its properties are Indestructible, Break Damage Limit, +4 DEX, Lucky, Auto‐Life, Precision, and the user gains access to the paladin job ability known as Sentinel. 138 SampleAccessories Name Choco Whistle Elemental Cape Gauntlets Oxygen Ball Rage Ring Saint’s Rune Slave Crown Sprint Shoes Transform Pin White Belt Barrier Ring Battle Boots Chocobo Outfit Dark Bandana Glowstone Goggles Hermes Sandals Magician Shoes Muscle Belt Peace Ring Protect Ring Zephyr Cape Elemental Ring Echo Bangle Atlas Armlet Collector’s Code Empyreal Band Tetra Elemental Aegis Jewel Angel Ring Formaldehyde Germinas Boots Magus Crest Reflect Ring Titan’s Gloves Experience Egg Fortune Egg Gold Hairpin Mog’s Amulet Artemis Arrow Black Belt Crimson Chapeau Crystal Eye Flower Crown Genji Gloves Knight’s Crest Magus Steeple Minerva Bangle Orb of Minwu Rat Tail Ribbon Rosetta Ring Samantha Soul Sasuke’s Sheath Sniper Eye Cost 250g 250g 250g 250g 250g 250g 250g 250g 250g 250g 600g 600g 600g 600g 600g 600g 600g 600g 600g 600g 600g 600g 2,000g 7,500g 25,000g 25,000g 25,000g 25,000g 80,000g 80,000g 80,000g 80,000g 80,000g 80,000g 80,000g 250,000g 250,000g 250,000g 250,000g N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Effect A high‐pitched whistle capable of calling friendly Chocobos Grants resistance to one elemental type except Holy/Shadow You are immune to disarm effects if you so choose A metal sphere that allows for underwater breathing Fills wearer with hatred, giving them the Auto‐Berserk status Negates the holder’s racial vulnerability to Shadow damage Wearer obeys the Slave Crown’s owner through Auto‐Charm Grants +2 bonus to Escape checks for Running Away in combat Adds the Auto‐Transform status Wearer gains Pugilist, allowing them to fight while unarmed Adds the SOS‐Shell status +2 bonus to DEX attribute Dress like a Chocobo, gaining a +2 bonus to Nature. Kweh! Adds Auto‐Blind status. While blind, wearer also has +2 ACC A nearly‐depleted shard of crystal that sheds constant light Immunity to the Blind status Adds the SOS‐Haste status +2 bonus to MND attribute +2 bonus to PWR attribute Immunity to the Berserk status Adds the SOS‐Protect status Grants a +1 bonus to AVD score Grants immunity to one element type, excluding Holy/ Shadow Immunity to the Seal status Immunity to all knockback effects 50% chance to earn the ‘Steal’ item from enemies after battle All other equipment is all treated as being Indestructible This jeweled broach has the Spellburst: Tetra property +4 bonus to RES if your Force is higher than your Finesse Grants the wearer the Auto‐Life status Undead creatures regain health each round +4 bonus to DEX if your Finesse is higher than your Force +4 bonus to MND if your Finesse is higher than your Force Grants the wearer the Auto‐Reflect status +4 bonus to PWR if your Force is higher than your Finesse +5 bonus to Lore, +1 bonus EXP after defeating a Boss +5 bonus to Scavenge, +1 bonus Destiny after defeating a Boss Overdrive property, spells cost half standard MP value to use You now cause critical hits on a roll of 11‐12 +4 DEX, +2 PWR and Special Ability if wearer is a Ranger +4 PWR, +2 RES and Special Ability if wearer is a Monk +4 MND, +2 DEX and Special Ability if wearer is a Red Mage +4 MND, +2 PWR and Special Ability if wearer is a Time Mage +4 RES, +2 MND Special Ability if wearer is a Geomancer +4 ACC, +2 AVD, and you gain the ability to Dual Wield +4 RES, +2 PWR and Special Ability if wearer is a Warrior +6 PWR and Special Ability if wearer is a Black Mage +6 MND and Special Ability if wearer is a White Mage +4 PWR, +2 RES and Special Ability if wearer is a Blue Mage +4 PWR, +2 DEX and Special Ability if wearer is a Dragoon Possesses the Impervious, Stoic, and Indestructible properties +4 DEX, +2 MND and Special Ability if wearer is an Entertainer +4 RES, +2 DEX and Special Ability if wearer is a Samurai +6 DEX and Special Ability if wearer is a Ninja +4 MND, +2 RES and Special Ability if wearer is an Engineer 139 Tinker Difficulty Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Challenging (11) Impressive (14) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Solomon Ring Thief Gloves Trump Card Undying Rage N/A N/A N/A N/A +6 RES and Special Ability if wearer is a Paladin +4 DEX, +2 MND and Special Ability if wearer is a Thief +4 DEX, +2 MND and Special Ability if wearer is a Gambler +4 PWR, +2 MND and Special Ability if wearer is a Dark Knight Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Artemis Arrow: A Ranger with this accessory may use the Barrage job ability one additional time, even if they don’t possess it. Black Belt: A Monk with the Black Belt equipped is immune to all damage and effects caused by Improbable weapons and unarmed attacks made by Humanoids. Furthermore, the Monk deals three additional damage steps with all Chain Finishers. Crimson Chapeau: By spending two points of Destiny outside of combat, the character may permanently lose access to any one Red Mage job ability they possess to gain one ability from any different Job of their choice. Limit Abilities and Innate Abilities cannot be acquired or lost in this manner. Crystal Eye: The Time Mage exists in many simultaneous quantum states; they have access to one Innate Ability of their choice, as well as all of the Innate Abilities belonging to the Jobs the character has spent any time as. Flower Crown: The Geomancer may cast the white magic spell Teleport for no MP as an Instant action once per round. Unlike the standard version of this spell, it may be used in combat and is treated as a Local spell instead of a Party spell; the Geomancer’s enemies are pulled along for the ride as well, and the battle continues normally. Knight’s Crest: Prior to the start of any game session a Warrior with the Knight’s Crest equipped may rewrite any of their limit breaks. Furthermore, they gain an additional 5 points with which to build each of their limit breaks. Magus Steeple: The Black Mage may now counter any physical attack made against him with a spell he knows, so long as the mage isn’t already preoccupied with a Slow action or a status condition would prevent him from making said counterattack. Minerva Bangle: White Magic spells and consumable items now always heal the White Mage in addition to the listed target. Orb of Minwu: After defeating a Boss, the Blue Mage may choose to automatically obtain any Blue Magic spell of his choice. Rat Tail: The first time the Dragoon activates Dragonheart or lands a critical hit in combat, they gain the effects of any [Monster]‐Slayer property of their choice until combat ends or until the effects of Dragonheart wear off. Rosetta Ring: The Entertainer’s innate ability now grants its bonus to two different attributes instead of only one. Samantha Soul: Whenever the Samurai deals damage to a target suffering from any Break art (Power Break, Speed Break, Armor Break, or Magic Break), they roll a critical hit on a result of 10‐12 and gain a +1 bonus to their AVD score. This AVD bonus is cumulative over the course of a battle; a Samurai who has attacked weakened targets 3 times would gain +3 AVD. Sasuke’s Sheath: The Ninja receives one additional standard action per turn. The Ninja still cannot exceed the maximum of three standard actions per turn, as normal. Sniper Eye: Using a consumable item or the Invent innate ability is now only an Instant action for the Engineer. Solomon Ring: When using Cover, the Paladin may now calculate damage received based on his attributes instead of the original target’s, and there is a 25% chance for the attack to be automatically negated. Thief Gloves: Using the Thievery skill – and by extension, the Steal innate ability – now only takes an Instant action. Trump Card: Once per round, you may reroll any Slots result that would cause a Bust effect. Undying Rage: The use of Darkside cannot reduce the Dark Knight to below 1 HP. Whenever the wearer of Undying Rage is targeted by an enemy’s attack while at 1 HP, they may immediately use Darkside as an Instant action against the triggering foe, before the attack against them is rolled. 140 SampleArmor Name Cotton Robe Leather Garb Chain Vest Snow Muffler Rubber Suit Knight’s Mail Mage’s Robe Power Sash Dwarf Armor Red Jacket Scorpion Mail Mirage Plate White Cape Gaia Gear Dragon Plate Safe Surplice Brave Vest Kaiser Armor Bard’s Tunic Maximillian Edincoat Robe of Lords Genji Gear Aegis Armor Tier 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 Type Light Medium Heavy Light Medium Heavy Light Medium Heavy Light Medium Heavy Light Medium Heavy Light Medium Heavy Light Medium Heavy Light Medium Heavy Cost 100g 100g 100g 450g 450g 450g 1,500g 1,500g 1,500g 5,400g 5,400g 5,400g 18,000g 18,000g 18,000g 57,000g 57,000g 57,000g 175,000g 175,000g 175,000g N/A N/A N/A ARM 2 4 6 4 8 12 10 15 25* 15 25 35 25 35 50 30 50 87* 40 70 100 60 100 140 MARM 6 4 2 12 8 4 20 15 12* 35 25 15 50 35 25 70 50 37* 100 70 40 140 100 60 Property None None None Ice Ward Lightning Ward +2 RES +2 MND +2 PWR Fortified Fire Proof +2 ACC SOS‐Invisible Shadow Proof Earth Field Dragon Slayer Auto‐Life Fear Proof Fortified +4 opposed rolls Lucky Auto‐Protect See below, Indestructible See below, Indestructible See below, Indestructible Synth Difficulty Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Challenging (11) Challenging (11) Challenging (11) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Godlike (25) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) Impossible (30) *Denotes a higher‐than standard value due to the Fortified armor property Robe of Lords: Choose one element. All spells of that Elemental type cost 50% of the normal MP to cast and deal an additional damage step. Genji Gear: A Dual‐Wielding character gains an additional 25 ARM and M.ARM, as well as a +2 AVD bonus when this armor is worn. Aegis Armor: Whenever any attack deals damage equal to 25% or less of the wearer’s health (after all damage reductions are calculated), that character may make an immediate counterattack. SampleShields Name Wooden Buckler Boomerang Shield Chemist’s Targe Ruby Wall Prism Guard Mirror Shield Crystal Shield Aegis Shield Tier 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Type Shield Shield Shield Shield Shield Shield Shield Shield Cost 50g 150g 550g 2,000g 6,500g 20,000g 65,000g N/A ARM 2 4 7 12 18 25 35 50 M.ARM 2 4 7 12 18 25 35 50 Property +1 AVD Gemini (Ranged), +1 AVD Alchemy, +2 AVD Stoic, +2 AVD Fragile, Auto‐Shell, +3 AVD Auto‐Reflect, +3 AVD Spellburst: Dispel, +4 AVD See below, Indestructible Synth Difficulty Easy (7) Moderate (9) Challenging (11) Impressive (14) Heroic (17) Supreme (20) Godlike (25) Impossible (30) Aegis Shield: The character gains +5 AVD and an Immunity to the damage and effects of the following spells; Death, Doomsday, Break, Lv.? Doom, Degenerator, Roulette, Quarter, Demi, and Black Hole. They are also Immune to Limit Breaks and monster abilities that attempt to cause an instant‐death effect. 141 SampleConsumables Name Potion Hi‐Potion X‐Potion Ether Hi‐Ether Turbo Ether Eyedrops Maiden’s Kiss Antidote Revivify Gold Needle Echo Screen Remedy Bomb Core Gysahl Greens Phoenix Down Phoenix Pinion Cupid’s Arrow Smoke Bomb Tent Deceptisol Skeleton Key Elixir Megalixir Scarletite Cost 20g 200g 3,000g 20g 200g 3,000g 20g 20g 20g 20g 50g 50g 8,000g 600g 50g 600g 20,000g 3,000g 50g 200g 20,000g 20,000g 20,000g N/A N/A Effect Restores 25% of a target’s maximum HP Restores 50% of a target’s maximum HP Restores 75% of a target’s maximum HP Restores 25% of a target’s maximum MP Restores 50% of a target’s maximum MP Restores 75% of a target’s maximum MP Removes the negative status effect Blind Removes the negative status effect Transform Removes the negative status effect Poison Removes the negative status effect Zombie Removes the negative status effect Petrify Removes the negative status effect Seal Removes all negative status effects Explodes, dealing (PWR x 4) points of Fire/nonelemental damage Grants a +4 bonus to one Nature check regarding Chocobos Revives an unconscious character with one HP Revives an unconscious character with 100% of their max HP Inflicts Charm on one enemy with an opposed roll Casts the Escape spell, allowing you and your allies to flee The party may take a Full Rest when used outside of combat Makes all party members Invisible when used Grants a +10 bonus on a Thievery skill check Restores 100% of a character’s HP and MP Restores 100% of the party’s HP and MP The user’s next Synthesis skill check always succeeds Alchemy Difficulty Easy (7) Challenging (11) Impressive (14) Easy (7) Challenging (11) Impressive (14) Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Easy (7) Moderate (9) Moderate (9) Impressive (14) Challenging (11) Moderate (9) Challenging (11) Heroic (17) Impressive (14) Moderate (9) Challenging (11) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Supreme (20) Supreme (20) Tent: These not‐so‐rudimentary canvas shelters have been treated with a special alchemical mix of monster pheromones. Although most races can’t smell a darn thing and the special concoction will only last for seven or eight hours before dissipating for good, sleeping in a Tent allows the entire party to get a Full Rest (once!) even in the most dangerous of locations. ElementalStones Generally reserved for only the most affluent of adventurers, elemental stones are crystalline shards and clusters produced in areas where pure elemental energy gathers. They can be found in the deepest, darkest parts of the sea, unearthed along with rare metallic alloys, and discovered twinkling in the aftermath of a lightning strike. They’re simple enough to use; merely shattering the delicate crystal with a good downward throw is enough to release the free‐flowing magic confined within. Doing so could cause anything from the spontaneous ignition of nearby buildings, to a crack of thunder and black clouds rolling in overhead, to a steady stream of saltwater pouring from the fragments of broken crystal. Regardless of the visual effect, using an Elemental Stone in combat causes the temporary creation of Elemental Terrain, lasting for only a few minutes and fading when battle ends. Name Earth Stone Fire Stone Ice Stone Lightning Stone Water Stone Wind Stone Holy Stone Umbral Stone Cost 2,000g 2,000g 2,000g 2,000g 2,000g 2,000g 20,000g 20,000g Effect Creates Earth‐elemental terrain when used Creates Fire‐elemental terrain when used Creates Ice‐elemental terrain when used Creates Lightning‐elemental terrain when used Creates Water‐elemental terrain when used Creates Wind‐elemental terrain when used Creates Holy‐elemental terrain when used Creates Shadow‐elemental terrain when used 142 Alchemy Difficulty Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Heroic (17) Heroic (17) Because Elemental Stone es are unstable e things, a charracter may onlyy have one in h his possession at any given tiime. o Elemental Sto ones in close p proximity with one another caan often causee them to annu ul each other… ….or Having two worse yet, react and explode, dealing d damage to anyo one unfortunaate enough to b be caught in th he blast radius. Sample eFood Whether a roasted rarab over the group’s campfire, o or a gourmet m meal worthy off a king, food can offten be an unliikely source off power. The acct of sharing a meal unites a party for a time, and d bolsters moraale and well ass soothing aching stomachs. FFood cannot b be stored for long pe eriods of time aand must be co onsumed within a few days oof being createed. After that, food spoilss and, needlesss to say, loses aall of its magicaal properties… short of perhaaps Poisoning the eater. Name e Popoto Pan ncake Chamomile e Tea Spicy Kab bob Wizard Cookie plings Rice Dump Love Choco olate Sautéed Drragon Ambrossia Cost 20g 50g 200g 600 2,000gg 6,500gg 20,000 0g N/A Effect A starrchy vegetable b breakfast dish. R Restores 25% HP. A delicate e infusion brewed from tiny yelloow flowers. +2 M MND. Grilled over an open flame. Grants an immunity to Firre. Deliciou us ginger desertss. Heals Seal andd restores 50% M MP. Steamed rice that grantss HP Drain and aa resistance to H Holy. A heart‐sshaped gift. Causes Auto‐Charm m and Charm Touuch. A gourmet meal grants the e entire party Draagon Eater and Lucky. m‐colored liquid tthat gives a +4 bbonus all attribu tes. Platinum Cookking Difficulty Easy (7) Mo oderate (9) Challlenging (11) Challlenging (11) Imp pressive (14) Imp pressive (14) Heroic (17) preme (20) Sup BlackM MarketGo oods Used almost exclusively b by Ninjas and ttheir Throw ability, Black Ma rket Goods aree illegal to man nufacture, buy, sell, ones possessio on. or have in o This has no ot stopped them from being ccommonplace,, however, andd more than on ne adventurer has started fin nding stealthier ssolutions to hiss problems with illegal waress. Name e Cost Effect Alchem my Difficulty Dart Toxin Skean/Scroll en Shurike Amnesia D Dust Fireworks 100gg 100gg 100gg 250gg 150gg 100gg When Thrown by a Ninja, causes additioonal status effeccts Three types of poison can bringg foes low When n Thrown by a N Ninja, causes elem mental damage Wh hen Thrown by aa Ninja, causes h eavy damage When Thrrown by a Ninja, causes instantaaneous memory loss When used, causes a comm motion Challeenging (11) Challeenging (11) Challeenging (11) Challeenging (11) Challeenging (11) Challeenging (11) ular choice in co onjunction with ccontact poisons,, Darts are hollo w, and have thee ability to be fillled with various Dart: A popu liquids or gaaseous materialss, which are released through a hole in the tip u pon contact witth a target. By th hemselves, Dartss only deal (DEX x 1) + 2d6 damage e with a Ninja’s TThrow command, but may also be filled with anny of the Poisonss listed below. e types of highlyy‐illegal materials are listed below, each equally priced, difficult to obtain and d dangerous to han ndle Toxin: Three for someone e who isn’t trained in their use. Malboro Po oison ‐ Extracted from the tentaccle‐like roots of a vicious Malbo ro, this thick, greeen toxin has grreat effect if ingeested or penetrate es the skin. It is n nearly impossiblle for a victim to o drink this poisoon unaware duee to its overwhelming stench. If consumed o outside of battle, the unfortunatte soul is affected with a debilitaating illness thatt will leave them m bed‐ridden unttil cured. When n used in conjun nction with a Darrt, it inflicts the Poison status wiith an opposed FFinesse check. 143 Dream Dustt ‐ This slick, glasssy yellow pollen n is refined from m Funguar. If inhaaled, it causes m most humanoid rraces to instantlyy fall into a deep, coma‐like sleep p. This powder iss employed mostly by thieves annd kidnappers. W When used in co ombat via a Dart, the target autom matically receive es the effects of the negative staatus effect Sleepp with a successfful opposed Fineesse check. Outsside of combat, Dre eam Dust leaves its targets snoriing softly away ffor hours at a tim me, or until distuurbed. Loco Weed ‐‐ Growing only in vast, uninhabitable desert plains, these barbeed roots are deadly for lost hero oes desperate fo or food. If somehow ingested duringg combat or forced into the bloo odstream with a filled dart, it cauuses madness and irrational beh havior and applies the negative staatus effect Confu use to the targett for the usual duuration. Outsidee of combat, ingeesting Loco Weeed causes the sstatus effect to laast several hourrs at a time. ouble‐edged dagggers that break as soon as they strike a target w with sufficient sttrength, but who ose Skean/Scrolll: Skeans are do curved blade es afford the thrrower additional distance and accuracy, and aree filled with danggerous substancces to ensure op ptimal stopping power for minimall cost. Skeans de eal (DEX x 2) + 2d d6 damage and are purchased w with an elemental affiliation of EEarth, Fire, Water, Wind, Ice or Ligghtning. They have the [Elementt] Strike weapon property accorddingly – for exam mple, a Fire Skeaan weak or vulneraable to that elem ment. They calculate would have Fire Strike, dealing additional daamage against targets that are w ng the target’s M M.ARM score. damage usin Scrolls are m mechanically identical – they are e ancient manuscripts filled withh ninjutsu secretts, which are reaad aloud and theen hurled at the target before e exploding spectaacularly. Shuriken: A classic Ninja we eapon, this is a small, sharp metaal disc with multtiple cutting edgges that can be tthrown at a target. A trained hand d can turn them into an accurate and deadly we eapon thanks to the (DEX x 4) + 2d6 damage theey inflict. Fireworks: TTubes filled with h black powder o originally designe ed in the far easst for entertainm ment. When the fuse is lit with fiire the Fireworks exxplode a few secconds later into a great pyrotech hnics display of llight, noise and smoke. They bu urn with multicolored sparks and p produce explosivve plumes of con nfetti and may e either sit on the ground or rockeet into the air. When used in combat as a SStandard action Fireworks create e Difficult Terraiin; all individualss in the Local areea suffer a ‐4 peenalty to their Awaareness skill checcks. Amnesia Du ust: Cynical scholars are quick to o point out that tthe original verssion of this fine ppowder was mad de by grinding u up the lucent wingss of harmless fae eries. While such h barbaric practices have long siince ended and modern‐day Am mnesia Dust is just a chemical compound, it still sserves as a good d prejudice again nst its wide‐spreead use. When used in combat, any H Humanoid targe et (oddly, it doessn’t seem to worrk on other speccies) automaticaally receives the effects of th he negative statu us effect Seal forr one round. Outtside of combat,, Amnesia Dust lleaves the last tw wenty seconds o or so of the unforrtunate individuaal’s life a blur, m making them com mpletely unawarre of the events that passed. Theey remain in thiss addle‐minde ed state for a few w seconds longe er, often giving tthe user of the ddust enough timee to sneak past o or make their getaway. After an individual has been n exposed to Am mnesia Dust once e, they are immuune to any repeaated uses of thiss chemical for seeveral hours. Some e scholars have n noted that such exposure to Am mnesia Dust can ccause long‐lastinng effects insteaad of short‐term m ones, producing absent‐minded in ndividuals years down the road. Vehicle es By successffully synthesiziing one of the types of vehicle below, you aand your partyy can temporarrily gain accesss to that form o of transportation – but unlike e the Special V Vehicles granted by the shareed ability of thee same name, bad rolls and un nfortunate com mplications cou uld see them d destroyed perm manently over the course of tthe campaign. Since weekks or months of effort are invvolved in the co onstructing of any vehicle, on nly when the b building is nearring completion n should the ch haracter attem mpting the Syntthesis make hiss skill roll. A faiilure doesn’t n not mean the craft fails completely in this caase. Rather, it implies a solvable problem thhat could be fixxed with additional time and d project – usually adding 20% more gil to thee cost and a feew more weekss of labor. resources ssunk into the p Name Travel Tyype Cost Special Vehiccle Properties Tinkering Difficulty Drilling Machine Airship, Baasic Floating Citaadel Land Air Air 8,500g Stealth hy, Unorthodox Travel (Undergrround) 8,500g Sm muggler’s Hold, SSuperior Handlinng 1 280,000gg Fortress, Indestructible, Pow wer Source, Weaapon Systems 144 Impressive (14) Impressive (14) Impossible (30) SYNT S THE ESIS "I like the look in you ur eyes; take th his with you. I cconsider it my ffinest work yet.." - The Le egendary Smith h Having a crrafter who can create almostt any item in th he game for 500% of the storee price is unargguably one of aany adventurin ng party’s bigge est assets, but having the abiility to whip upp a skeleton keey from scraps when locked w within the castle d dungeons, or repair the warrrior’s weapon aafter a brief dipp in molten lavva? Priceless. Crafting gBasics This is prettty straightforw ward. First, dettermine the cost of the item yo ou want to make – it is alwayys half of the lissted going price e for an item if you were to ju ust buy one outright. Then, desiggn it from the gground up and d get GM appro oval. Use the charts at the starrt of the equipment section tto determine how many pro operties a certaain item can haave, how good tthose properties can be, and d so on. When yyou’re ready, makke your skill check and see if yyou meet or exxceed the target d difficulty for a Synthesis of a given tier leve el. Failinga aSynthesissCheck A failed roll indicates that the final resu ult is unstable, oor quality. The e item is no be etter unworkable, or simply po than scrap metal, fumingg liquids or spare parts. ns that althouggh the characte er(s) In game terms, this mean o attempt to create it, spent 50% of the original item’s cost to he money and item they’re ultiimately left witth nothing – th are both lo ost. Compon nents From rare aalloys to mystical fauna, the natural world is full of strange things that wo ould serve a craafter well. A character tthat has found a Component – whether as treasure from a recent ad dventure or fro om a successfu ul Boss or Notorio ous Scavenge sskill check afterr defeating a B Monster – may attempt aa synthesis skilll check using tthat material w without any additional cost. FFor example, a blacksmith who finds a sttrange, frost‐co overed ore thaat’s cold to thee touch – in thiss case, a Tier 2 2 ‘Ice’ Component ‐ hat to create a Tier 2 item witth a successful check withoutt any gil investtiture. may use th While this should definite ely sound like aa sweet deal, tthere is one sm mall loophole in n using Compo onents for a ems, at least onne of the propeerties of the final item MUSTT be synthesis ccheck. Due to the inherent naature of the ite chosen from the specific Components list that the GM M should provi de, which can be found in th he Rewards secction on p.160. 145 Creating a piece of equipment with unique propertiess can sometim es be a little m more complex. The price is still but crafting po owerful items ssometimes reqquires a speciall item to be consumed in thee craft 50% of the normal cost, b d beyond the n normal prerequ uisites. above…and The difficulty of obtainingg this item, of course, varies based on preccisely how pow werful the inten nded craft wou uld be. whereas a weap pon A suit of mail with a few unique abilities might require ore from a n earby undead‐‐filled mine, w us might require the horn of a behemoth. with near‐llegendary statu Plyingy yourTrade A newly‐crafted, never‐used item sells ffor 100% of the listed price, ggive or take sliightly due to m market fluctuattions. ould be done rarely. This allowss characters with the time and desire to maake a profit witth their craft, tthough this sho Players are e discouraged tto find ‘downtiime’ with whicch to specificallly use to makee money. Pre‐Gam meSynthesis Often, playyers with crafting‐capable chaaracters will re equest that theeir ‘starting’ geear is synthesizzed, thus allow wing them to joiin play with mo ore bang for th heir buck. Unfo ortunately, chaaracters cannot roll dice…and d therefore, caan’t make synth hesis checks….before the gam me starts, or be efore their chaaracter has join ned play. A player co ould theoreticaally not spend aany of their staarting money aand attempt to o turn raw cash h into powerful items, weaapons and armo or shortly after being introdu uced, but failurre on such cheecks could certaainly mean a b brand‐ new characcter could wind d up subpar an nd item‐less. 146 CHAPTER V: COMBAT "Why not? I don't have anything to lose but my life... and I got that for free!" - Setzer Gabbiani Given the sheer number of fiendish monsters and evil empires waiting to be vanquished in the name of justice, combat is an unavoidable part of day‐to‐day life in the worlds of Final Fantasy. This section covers these encounters – and more importantly, how to emerge from them alive. WhatcanIdoinoneroundofcombat? In a given round of combat, a character may move a short range and perform as many Instant actions as they like. They may also perform one Standard Action, or start a Slow action. Instant Actions include speech (even long‐winded monologues!), quite a few job abilities, and non‐skill effects that have no major impact on combat. Standard Actions include certain job abilities, using consumable items on yourself or a party member, switching between weapons, attacking, or moving a Medium Range instead of a Short Range. Most actions characters take will be Standard actions. Slow Actions are longer effects that require concentration, time, or both. A character has to declare that they are initiating a slow action, which takes their entire turn. Slow Actions then resolve at the start of the character’s following turn unless interrupted by a critical hit, limit break, Teamwork Attack or a knockback effect. Slow actions don’t count towards any of the character’s actions on the second turn. Thus, a Black Mage could begin casting Fire on his first turn and on his second turn, if uninterrupted, the spell would be cast, allowing him to take a standard action or begin a second Fire spell in the same round. This second cast would finish in the third round of combat, and so on. Skills may either be Instant, Slow or Standard actions in combat, depending on the GM ruling. For example, using Nature to command the chocobo you’re riding on to leap over an obstacle might be an Instant action because it requires no concentration normally, whereas to aid an injured soldier by using the Healing skill would likely be a Slow action. A character under the influence of the Haste status essentially gets an extra half‐turn. They may move an additional range increment OR take a second standard action, OR they may allow a Slow action to begin and finish in one turn. HowmuchdamagedoIdo? Damage – whether from a spell or the swing of a sword – is mostly pre‐calculated. For example, we’ll use a spear that deals (PWR x 1) + 2d6 points of damage. If the character wielding this weapon had a PWR attribute of 15, then the damage his basic attacks deal would be read as 15 + 2d6 in total. If the same character switched to a (PWR x 2) weapon, then such attacks would deal 30 + 2d6 damage. 147 When a character rolls his attack on his turn, he only rolls a total of 2d6 dice that are used for both determining if the attack hits, as well as how much additional damage the attack does if successful. We casually call this the ‘Roll and Keep’ method, and it goes like this; Allison, playing a Thief, is using a Tier 3 weapon. She rolls her two six‐sided dice and ends up with a result of 7. She quickly mentally adds together the result of 7 with her Accuracy score of 4, for a total of 11. Since her opponent’s AVD score is also 11, and her attack roll met or exceeded that number, Allison knows she hits the target. Now that she’s discovered her attack was successful, she goes ahead and calculates damage with those same two dice. Her Tier 3 weapon does (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of damage and she has 12 Power, so she is able to figure out that her total damage will be (36) + 7. She grins at her fellow players and announces her character ducks and rolls forward under the monster’s arm, slicing tendons for 43 damage before leaping back to her feet and posing. TargetTypes Four types of targets exist in combat: Self is the user of the ability, or the caster of the spell. A Group is the entire formation of monsters or the character and all his allies. A Group should be limited to a dozen or so at most for balance reasons. Local refers to everything except the originator of the attack, spell or ability – all enemies, all allies, all defenseless pedestrians, the terrain in the area, everything within range ‐ is affected by this blanket maneuver. Finally, a Single target is – as the name implies – restricted to only one person, whether friend or foe. Such targets may be picked out of a larger formation, or exist simply because the Party is fighting against only one powerful foe. RunningAway! Not every challenge the PCs encounter will be winnable, and sometimes discretion really is the better part of valor. There are a myriad of ways for players to remove themselves from combat – a Smoke Bomb item, the white magic spell ‘Escape’, and others. But the players can always try to flee on foot if magic and misdirection fail. With a Standard action in combat a unconscious character may roll his Escape skill at a varying difficulty; generally the difficulty never exceeds Moderate (9), but some Notorious Monsters and Bosses are much more difficult to escape from. On a success the character flees the battle and leaves combat, and does not receive any gil, experience or Destiny for the battle. Characters who are inflicted with the negative status effect Stop cannot make Run Away checks, and there must be some conceivable way of escaping battle for this to work – a character cannot, for example, run away when inside a locked cell or soaring through the clouds on the deck of an airship. At least, not without a very nasty fall involved. If the entire group of heroes runs from a Notorious or Boss monster, then it’s assumed that the creature is still out there, lurking and waiting for them to return. Fleeing from a regular monster group effectively means the encounter was nullified, and the players probably won’t encounter the same creatures a second time. 148 DescriptiveAttacks Combat in the FFd6 is fast‐paced and furious, often pitting the heroes against near‐impossible odds. The players will need to think quickly and stay on their toes. A player who, on their turn, simply says “I attack” and rolls the dice is a character without strategy, and an attack without an attempt at description is predictable and easy to dodge. Such lackluster strategies might impose a ‐2 penalty on the accuracy roll at the GM’s discretion. The GM’s creatures are exempt from this rule, unfortunately. Sometimes, a player may wish to make highly cinematic attacks, and such actions are to be rewarded for their creativity and resourcefulness as opposed to reducing the overall effectiveness of the attack. A character who spends a round climbing up the metal arrows imbedded in a massive dragon to reach a vital point (then attacking on the following round), should be allowed to treat the foe as having 0 EVA at the very least. A character that plunges their Indestructible blade into molten lava before striking should gain the Fire Strike weapon bonus, and so on. Inspired GMs should be able to come up with other appropriate benefits. What’swiththeseRangeincrements? To enhance the cinematic style of combat this system revolves around, try to avoid thinking in terms of ‘movement squares’ or exact numerical measurements to determine movement and range. Instead, only three types of distance exist. Short Range refers to anything conceivably the characters could reach or attack without much movement required beforehand. It generally denotes that an enemy is easily within melee distance. Short Range weapons are common, and include everything from swords to unarmed brawling attacks. Such weapons are versatile and plentiful, but limited in situations with much more mobile combatants – for example, hitting Flying enemies with a Short Range weapon imposes a ‐4 penalty on the attack roll. Characters can move a Short Range as an Instant action once per round. Medium Range is a little harder to measure because its exact distance varies. Medium Range is the distance a character can move in a single round at a hard run, or how far a gun or bow can be comfortably fired. Medium Range could be a city block or from one side of an Airship to the other, for example. Almost all Ranged and thrown weapons possess a Medium Range – though there’s no reason a gun or shuriken couldn’t be used to its fullest at point‐blank. It normally takes a character a Standard action to move a Medium Range, but if the character can somehow move two ‘Short’ distances – say, one as an instant action on their turn and a bit of extra movement from a job ability or special move – this counts as moving a medium range instead. Long Range denotes a distance greater than medium range, but still able to be seen. This could represent anything from a few city blocks to a few miles, depending on circumstance. Characters cannot normally move a Long Range without beneficial magic or without being aboard a vehicle or mount, and characters can only use Ranged weapons at a Long Range – albeit with large penalties to attack rolls. 149 Defending On their tu urn, a character may choose tto go into a defensive stancee instead of takking any action ns. This reducess all damage taken (after armor) by 50% as if the player haad the effects of Protect and Shell, and lastts until the starrt of d the effects off Protect or Sheell (as approprriate), the dam mage the charactter’s next turn. If the charactter already had sustained w when defendin ng is reduced to o only 25% instead. PreemptiveRound d At the begiinning of comb bat, all allies orr enemies who have the elem ment of surprisse may act firstt. Characters m may not use abiilities or attackks when it is no ot their turn du uring the Pre‐eemptive round,, even if the ab bility says otheerwise. However, tthey retain the eir AVD scores, able to dodge e reflexively. After the P Pre‐emptive rou und is completted, the heroess act first. (seee Initiative Ordeer below) Initiativ veOrder Many game systems dete ermine in whicch order combaatants act by roolling. This is n not the case in the FFd6 – after the Pre‐emptivve round of com mbat, the ‘hero oes’ (generallyy the player chaaracters) almo ost always go fiirst. After all th he PCs have taken n their turns the monsters atttack, after which the next rouund begins. If neither side is clearly th he ‘good side’ – due to party infighting or aa morally grey campaign, for example – theen you can settle w who acts first b by having the ccharacter with the highest Finnesse on each team make an n opposed Fineesse roll. with Destiny caan use these po oints to take co ombat actions at any time, h however, and ssome high‐leveel Monsters w adversariess will exploit th his fact to go first. 150 ImprobableWeaponsandUnarmedCombat A hero who is disarmed or otherwise being forced to rely on his fists and crude, temporary weapons follows some special rules. Unless they have Abilities or equipment properties to help them out in such a situation, unarmed strikes deal damage as though they were Tier 1 weapons – thus, PWR + 2d6 points of ARM damage – with no additional bonuses. Improbable Weapons are more complicated, because their damage Tier varies depending on what, exactly, is being used, based on both the object’s size as well as its inherent lethality – consult the chart below for general suggestions. Regardless, most improbable weapons have the weapon property ‘Temporary,’ causing them to break after only one round of normal use. Improbable Weapons (such as chandeliers or, you know, the moon) are often able to target more than one enemy. Use your best judgment for determining the size and scale of such attacks. Tier Difficulty Examples 1 Elementary (5) A pair of sunglasses, a sweet fedora, cutlery and tableware 2 Easy (7) An unconscious party member, a long table or heavy door 3 Challenging (11) A falling chandelier, an aquarium filled with angry lobsters 4 Impressive (14) Boiling liquid, a motorcycle, steel girders, a blacksmith’s anvil. A large tree, windmill ‘blades,’ a live shark 5 Heroic (17) 6 Supreme (20) A towering statue/pillar, a medium‐sized landslide, a railroad car 7 Godlike (25) The side of a mountain or glacier, airship propellers, a small meteorite 8 Impossible (30) A fifty‐story building, the moon You must make a skill or attribute check at the listed difficulty in order to use the desired Tier of Improbable Weapon. For example, a character wishing to slice through a tree and send it falling on enemies would have to roll his Force attribute as a skill check and hope for a result of 13 or better – not an easy task for someone of moderate strength, but likely a worthwhile gamble if it pays off! And even after making the appropriate check to utilize the weapon, a standard attack action is still required to hit the target. If your character doesn’t have the Brawl skill, remember that you suffer a ‐2 penalty to your ACC, AVD, and opposed roles for using Improbable weapons! Not all Improbable Weapons calculate damage with PWR – for example, it wouldn’t make much sense to factor a user’s strength into account if he’s using his airship to ram an enemy vessel. Use whatever stat you can argue is remotely appropriate – in the previous example, DEX or MND (to spot and aim towards a weak spot on the ship’s hull, for example) might be a good substitution. Remember that the ‘Pugilist’ weapon property, usually found on accessories and armor, allows a character to wield improbable weapons with much greater proficiency. TeamworkAttacks Think about your closest friends. If you know them well enough, you also know their strengths and weaknesses. You know how they think, how they react, how they tick. You trust them to know the same about you, too. And when it comes to combat, going back‐to‐back with a partner and fighting in tandem is often the key to victory. It is assumed that all attacks in a round happen nearly simultaneously. However, two or more players can coordinate their attacks against a single foe, attempting to ruin his concentration and leave him (or it) staggered 151 from the flurry of attacks. These are most often referred to as Teamwork Attacks, but are also known as Concurrences or band attacks. On his or her turn, each player interested in participating in a teamwork attack must declare this intention ahead of time. Each player then makes an attack or casts a spell as normal, and compares the 2d6 they rolled for accuracy/damage, looking for paired numbers. For example, if the first player rolls a 4 and a 6, and the second player rolled a 2 and a 4, the teamwork attack would be successful. If the Teamwork Attack is unsuccessful due to no matching pairs, both of the attacks are negated and instantly fail. Spells that fail in this way still cost MP. If there’s a matching pair but one of the attacks would miss their target due to the value simply being too low, the Teamwork Attack fails and again, both attacks are nullified. A successful Teamwork Attacks grant the following benefits: o o o o The monster targeted by the Teamwork Attack loses all of their Combat Abilities until the end of their next turn; Counterattack, Magical Counterattack, Final Attack, Status Touch, Call For Help, Inhale, Call Minions, Multiweapon, Flawless Spell, Item Use, Submerge, Combination attack, and Job Ability. Whenever any character that successfully helped perform the Teamwork Attack is targeted by an enemy over the course of the next round, any other party member involved in the teamwork attack may redirect the attack so that it targets them instead. Single‐target Teamwork Attacks deal normal damage to a Swarm instead of being reduced by half. Teamwork Attacks interrupt the target’s Slow actions without fail. Howlongisa‘Session?’ Many job abilities state that they are limited in use, only able to be activated once per game session. The exact definition of a session will surely vary from group to group. Friends meeting up for their weekly game will probably define a session as the time the group gets together to the time the game ends for the night. If the medium for play is email, message boards or instant‐messenger programs, however, the definition of a session might be one in‐ game day, or until the party completes their current mission. KnockbacksandAerialCombat Quite a few weapons and abilities have the capability to cause a ‘knockback’ of various distances, which are incredibly useful to interrupt and cancel Slow actions. Monsters with the ‘Large’ property are immune to knockback effects, both to the forced movement and the loss of their action. A character that is affected by a Knockback is hurled in whichever direction makes the most sense and does not land until the end of his next turn. This rarely has any real in‐game effect other than for the sake of description. Final Fantasy heroes are well‐known for their ability to fight flawlessly even in mid‐air, almost appearing to hover as they clash with foes a few dozen feet above the ground. DifficultTerrainandOtherChallenges In addition to the normal dangers in combat, characters may be faced with other challenges. Perhaps the area is crowded with screaming, fleeing pedestrians, making firing a ranged weapon almost impossible. Perhaps a cluster 152 of bomb cores sits in the middle of the room, capable of causing a massive explosion if accidently nicked with a Fire‐based spell or attack. We refer to all of these things as Difficult Terrain, something that turns a straightforward battle into a more delicate or complicated affair. There’s three different ways this could play out. The first penalty difficult terrain might cause is penalties to rolls, generally a ‐2 or ‐4 penalty to specific checks such as Stealth or accuracy. This could be anything from sand traps to high winds; effects that hinder, but do not physically harm. The second way Difficult Terrain might adversely affect battle is with One‐Time Damage, such as a set of crumbling ruins collapsing on the battlefield. One‐Time damage can almost always be avoided with a successful Force of Finesse check depending on the situation, and generally deals (Party level x 10) + 2d6 points of damage to one individual or an entire group, on a case‐by‐case basis. It may or may not be tied to a certain element, and may target either ARM or M.ARM or completely ignore all defenses. Finally, Difficult Terrain might cause Recurring Damage, such as battling in a cactus patch, or taking a pleasant dip in the planet’s molten core. Recurring damage is dealt at the end of each player’s turn, and just like the previous example, may or may not be tied to an element and may target either ARM, M.ARM, or ignore defenses depending on the complication. The severity of the recurring damage depends on the situation the players have gotten themselves into, and we suggest consulting the chart below for examples. Depending on the situation, some GMs may rule a successful Force, Finesse, or Skill check (made as an instant action of course) can avoid one round’s worth of damage from a recurring source. For example, a trapped hallway that shoots a steady stream of arrows into combat could still be dodged, and a particularly machismo hero might be able to wade uphill against a landslide without winding up battered and unconscious. Difficulty Elementary Easy Moderate Challenging Impressive Heroic Godlike Impossible Level 1 2 – 3 4 – 5 6 – 7 8 – 9 10 – 11 12 – 13 14 – 15 Example Frostbite Trapped treasure chest Inside a burning building Monster stampede Acid river, crushing walls Plummeting airship Molten lava Inside a black hole One‐Time Damage 10 + 2d6 20 + 2d6 40 + 2d6 60 + 2d6 80 + 2d6 100 + 2d6 120 + 2d6 140 + 2d6 Recurring Damage 6 12 24 36 48 60 72 84 CombatMultipliers This rule is brief, but important. Often, characters will gain large bonuses to their damage – a critical hit (200% damage) with a Fire‐based against an enemy weak to fire (200% damage) for example. These bonuses are additive; in this situation, 400% damage would be dealt. However, no attack may ever gain a total combat multiplier of higher than 500% for any reason. And finally, attacks that deal ‘half’ damage always total up the multiplier before cutting the final score in half. So in the above example involving a fire‐based critical hit against a fire‐weak enemy, the 400% damage would be reduced down to 200% if the enemy also had Unusual Defense. 153 TwoWe eaponFightting Characters who Dual Wie eld gain some ffantastic bonusses, increasingg their accuracyy and critical h hit rate ents on both w weapons. The fo ollowing restricctions do applyy, exponentiaally. They also ggain the magiccal enhanceme however. First, Disarmed effects caause the playerr to lose both w weapons insteaad of just one.. Until they reccover both weaapons, the charactter is in seriouss trouble. Secondly, ccharacters thatt fight with two o weapons can nnot ‘stack’ weeapon propertiies to get doub ble the effect. FFor example, aa character cou uld not have HP P Drain on both weapons to ggain 100% of tthe damage infflicted back as health. Norr could they gaain quadruple h healing instead d of double heaaling when utilizing two weaapons with Alch hemy, and so on. Having +2 PWR on each weaapon for a total of +4 is fair g ame. CriticalHits When a character rolls a critical successs on his accuraacy roll, the hit is assumed to o automaticallyy land and dealls m a Limit Breakk instead. (see p1166 for double (200%) damage. If the character is at 25% or less heath, theyy may perform more informa ation on Limit Brea aks) Unimportant NPCs – such h as nameless soldiers and city residents – do not have th he ability to lan nd critical hits, and are instanttly reduced to 0 0hp when theyy are critically h hit no matter hhow much dam mage is dealt. Counterrattacks Sometimess, weapon or abilities call for a player, monster or creaturre to make a physical Counteerattack. This m means that the ind dividual may u use an attack in nstantly and on n the opponen t’s turn, againsst the foe that caused a counterattack to occur. Counterattack m may take place e each turn and d characters m must still roll for attacks as no ormal. A characcter Only one C cannot cou unterattack the emselves or an n ally under anyy circumstancees. Magical Co ounterattacks ffunction the exxact same way,, instead allow wing the counteerattacker to reespond with a spell cast as an IInstant action w whenever theyy are targeted by, or take dam mage from, a sspell cast on th hem by an enemy. 154 Creatures and characters may not perform Counterattacks when they’re concentrating on a Slow action. UnusualManeuvers No hard‐and‐fast rules are specified in the FFd6 for maneuvers such as tripping, grappling, charging and the like. GMs should handle such situations on a case‐by‐case basis, possibly calling for opposed Force/Finesse checks or even rolling skills against the standard set difficulties. However, they are encouraged to remember that in the Final Fantasy universe, even heavily encumbered warriors are capable of incredible speed, rapidity and technique, able to often ignore such mundane combat techniques or situations like prone fighting. Disarming The world of Final Fantasy is filled with enemies as diverse as they are dangerous. While some battle with fists of iron, poisonous spines and magical blasts, other foes – especially Humanoids ‐ use tools as their primary means of attack. But whether this is a great tree torn out of the ground or a set of futuristic guns attached to a hulking mech, characters can always attempt to separate their opponents from their weapons. Attempting a Disarm is a Standard action wherein both parties make a Force or Finesse check, of their choice, attempting to oppose the other roll – if the disarmer wins the weapon is knocked aside, and if the foe wins there is no effect. If the disarming character has a hand free and is within a Short Range of their target, they can hang on to the item. Otherwise, the weapon is merely knocked aside. How long an opponent remains without his weapon after being Disarmed can vary drastically. For example, there is generally nothing stopping the disarmed opponent from moving to his lost weapon and retrieving it as a Standard action on the following turn. However, the player may state that they attempt to forcefully send their opponent’s sword hurtling, lodging it in a nearby tree; in such a situation the GM may rule that a check is required to pull it free. If the weapon is knocked off the side of a mountain or into lava, retrieving it will prove more difficult and the weapon may even be destroyed. Using the above example, if the character literally ‘disarmed’ an M‐Tek Mecha of its double arm‐cannons, the war machine has no way of even picking them back up, much less re‐attaching its weaponry. Use common sense and fairness when dictating the results of a Disarm – for example, opponents who have been affected with, say, the Sleep status, shouldn’t be allowed to make an opposed roll. ActionsPerRoundLimit While it might seem like an obscure rule, this needed to be said somewhere; Under no conditions whatsoever can a character take more than three Standard Actions in the full course of a single round. 155 NEGATIVE STATUS EFFECTS There are many different things that can happen to a character besides taking damage. Negative Status Effects can do anything from inconvenience your character to completely cripple him. Generally, when a spell or attack attempts to cause a Status Effect, the victim has a chance to resist the effects. This often entails an opposed roll between the target and the user of the status effect. Most of the time, status effects require an opposed Force roll, representing very physical, tangible and material changes in the target. Status ailments that are opposed completely on an emotional or mental level and require an opposed Finesse roll are more rare, but might include things such as Charm or Confuse. Which type of opposed roll will be used is ultimately up to the GM’s jurisdiction. All negative status effects normally last for exactly 4 rounds, but the GM may choose to rule that they wear off prematurely for dramatic effect. Stun and Fear are special cases. The list of negative status effects follow. Berserk: You go berserk and can do nothing on your turn but attack the nearest enemy, though you will not mistake friend for foe. A target that is Berserk also ignores 50% of their opponent’s ARM score. Blind: You only roll one dice when making attack rolls. This both lowers the character’s accuracy and prevents critical hits from occurring, although characters that Dual Wield may still reroll this one dice and hope for the best. Charm: The character is placed under the control of whoever caused the Charm status, fighting for that side even against former allies until the effect fades. Charmed characters still retain their understanding of the world and won’t inflict direct self‐harm; for example, ordering a Charmed character to hurl themselves off a cliff would be ignored, but you could order a character with the Cover ability to protect you at all costs. Charmed characters cannot spend Destiny or activate Limit Breaks, nor will they use items or take actions that might cause their equipment to break. Taking damage has a 25% chance of removing the Charm status. Confuse: You are confused and disoriented, causing you to take random actions each round. At the start of each of the Confused character’s turns, roll 1d6. On a result of 1 or 2, the character attacks his allies or heals his enemies, acting as if he was fighting on the enemy’s side. On a result of 3 or 4, the character performs nonsensical actions such as trying to use Inquiry on a tree. On a result of 5 or 6, the character may act normally. The GM may determine the character’s random actions, or he may allow the player to do so. Taking damage has a 25% chance of removing the Confuse status. Curse: The character is afflicted by an ominous hex, and cannot spend Destiny while the status effect persists. Fear: Exactly like the effects of Stun; you can take no action whatsoever and your AVD score is effectively zero until the end of your next turn – or the end of your current turn, if applicable (if it was applied on your action, by attempting to attack a Fearsome enemy or the like). Transform: You are forced into a physical form that is not your own, usually that of a harmless animal. You are now considered to be a Beast in addition to your normal species, all physical damage you deal is halved, all physical damage you take is doubled, and you are only able to communicate with other Beasts; for example, a hero 156 transformed into a frog could speak to a rabbit, but not to a human. Transformed targets also gain a +2 bonus to skills which their new form might excel at – such as Athletics for a cat or Swimming for a fish. Petrify: You are transformed into a stone statue, losing awareness of everything that goes on around you. You are completely immobile and can take no action. However, being made of stone does grant some protection. Your Force attribute, ARM and M.ARM scores are doubled, you are immune to all further negative status effects, and you gain a +6 bonus to Stealth checks. Targets who are petrified for a significant period of time do not age, not do they require oxygen or sustenance while Petrify lasts. Cured by the ‘Soft’ item. Poison: When poisoned, you lose 20% of your max HP at the end of each of your turns. This can reduce your HP to zero. Seal: Your special abilities are sealed. You cannot use Magic of any sort, or Job Abilities that are activated with an Instant, Standard or Slow action. Passive abilities, skills, equipment properties and basic attacks can still be used, as well as Job abilities that involve you commanding a companion or operating a device, such as using an Animal Companion’s special attack. Sleep: You are magically put to sleep, and can do nothing until the effect ends. Your AVD score is effectively zero. Taking any amount of damage has a 100% chance of removing the Sleep status, and you can rouse a sleeping target with a successful Standard action. Slow: Your actions take longer than normal. Instant actions become Standard actions, Standard actions become Slow Actions, and Slow actions resolve at the end of the player’s next turn instead of the beginning, essentially taking a full two rounds to use. This is one of the nastier status effects, and as such it is quite uncommon. Slow overwrites and cancels the Haste status. Stop: You cannot move. You can still take actions, but cannot cover any distance and are stuck in your current location unless moved by a third party. Furthermore, your AVD score is effectively zero. Stun: Your turn is skipped completely and you can take no action whatsoever. Your AVD score is effectively zero, but you may still make opposed rolls if prompted to do so. Unless stated otherwise, Stun lasts for only one round. Zombie: Your body is infused with negative energy, partially transforming you into a creature of darkness. All curative spells, effects, and potions are reversed, dealing damage instead of healing it. 157 POSITIVE STATUS EFFECTS Luckily, not all status effects are bad. Positive status effects can bestow great advantages on your character‐ while they last. If your character is knocked unconscious, any positive status effects they possess disappear immediately – although Auto‐Statuses are re‐applied the second the character regains consciousness. If a character wishes, they can prevent themselves from receiving a positive status effect with the same sort of opposed Force or Finesse resistance check as mentioned above. While rare, situations where such normally beneficial spells are a hindrance DO pop up…such as a Zombied character trying not to receive the effects of Regen. It should be noted that even a character with Immunities to status effects can choose to be affected by them if he or she wishes. Thus, a character with a Ribbon equipped – and thus Immune to all statuses – could still operate under the effects of Protect and Haste if they liked, or even allow themselves to be Charmed. Auto‐Life: If your HP is reduced to 0 while under an Auto‐Life spell, you are immediately revived with 1 HP. Auto‐ Life is then removed for the remainder of the battle; this is a one‐time deal. Flight: Whether hovering several inches off the ground or soaring through the air, characters with Flight gain a variety of bonuses. They have far greater maneuverability than their ground‐bound allies, which in combat translates to a ‐4 accuracy penalty to short‐range attacks that target them. They also negate all damage and effects from Earth‐based spells and abilities and take no damage from falling. The benefits of Flight are lost upon unconsciousness, however, so characters must always be careful they don’t black out from a strong hit, and wind up plummeting to the hard ground below. Haste: You may make two Standard actions instead of one on your turn, or you may have all the Slow actions made on your turn act like Standard actions instead; they occur immediately after being used instead of activating at the start of your following turn. Haste overwrites and cancels the Slow status. Invisible: Your physical form is almost completely translucent, making you able to move around undetected and more difficult to hit in combat. You gain a +3 bonus to your Stealth skill checks, a +3 bonus to your Avoidance score, and a +3 bonus to Run Away in combat. Taking damage or using a job ability removes Invisible. Protect: All physical damage dealt to you is halved for the duration of the effect. The damage is halved after ARM reduces the initial amount. Reflect: Most magic that would otherwise affect the target is instead redirected towards a random target on the opposite side. For example, this means that casting Fire on a Reflected enemy will result in you or one of your allies being damaged instead. Regen: The literal opposite of Poison. While under the effects of Regen, a character gains 20% of his max HP at the end of each of his turns. Shell: All magical damage dealt to you is halved for the duration of the effect. The damage is halved after M.ARM reduces the initial amount. 158 REW WARD DS "The ese days, all it takes t for your dreams d to com me true is mone ey and power." - President Shinra A party’s m main source of Gil varies drasttically from campaign to cam mpaign. It migh ht come from ssuccessfully defeating m monsters, in th he form of treaasure obtained during the couurse of an adveenture, moneyy given to the p party by NPCs an nd other allies in exchange fo or services and other tasks, o r even an allottted ‘allowancee’ granted by tthe organizatio on to which the e heroes belon ng. Use the following chart too determine ho ow much gil sh hould be award ded to each memb ber of a group over the coursse of an entire level, based oon the average level of the paarty. Party Level Gil Awarde ed 1 100 2 200 3 450 4 1,000 5 2,000 6 4,000 7 7,500 8 13,500 Party LLevel 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Gil Awaarded 25,0 000 45,0 000 80,0 000 140,0 000 245,0 000 430,0 000 740,0 000 For example, in a group w with 4 characte ers – all of who om are level 111 – the GM sho ould ensure thaat each and evvery 80,000 gil piece es (or the local equivalent) beefore they reacch level 12. character in that group earns roughly 8 ng to make the eir campaigns aa little tougherr than usual miight choose to give a good po ortion of this w wealth GMs lookin in the form m of equipmentt, consumable items, or othe er material rew wards. Even so,, we recommen nd that at least 50% of a characcter’s wealth per level should d be in the form m of straight cuurrency. Likew wise, GMs who’re shooting for a higher‐pow wered game (or who already employ lots off mean tricks aagainst their players, such as constantly destroying their gear or d denying them C Components) m might increasee the wealth peer level by as m much as 25%. ere is to create e a situation where players are generally ouutfitted with a Tier of equipm ment that’s equ ual to The idea he about half their level. Thu us, upon hitting level 4 a character should bbe mostly weaaring Tier 2 geaar. At level 5, th hey el 6, they shouuld be almost eentirely in Tier 3 gear. should havve a bit of both Tier 2 and Tier 3, and at leve Compon nents Whether obtained from aa successful usse of the Scavenge skill upon felling a dangeerous enemy, ffound deep wiithin an ancient treasure chestt, or simply giftted by the GM at the end of a long and diffficult story arc,, Components are omponents fro om which powe erful equipmen nt can be madee without spen nding a single ggil. Components are the base co used in pla ace of money w when attemptin ng to Synthesizze an item. Thee catch is that at least one off the created ittems properties must be from the associated d list. For exam mple, a Tier 4 ‘CCursed’ Compo onent could maake a Curse To ouch d just like with money, a faile ed synthesis roll destroys thee Component. sword. And The chart o on the followin ng page lists a ccommon selecttion of Compoonent types, ass well as the low west possible TTier they can ap ppear as…thou ugh there’s abssolutely no reason adventureers couldn’t fin nd, say, Tier 6 Iron (normally Tier 2). Experienced GMs are certainly welcome to invent their own typees of Componeents to grant to o their playerss. ggest ruling that using a Com mponent to synnthesize a Conssumable or Foo od item doesn’’t just Important Note: We sug uce one item, b but four. That is is, a single Berrry Component would turn intto 4 Potions. Th his is due to the produ significant p price differencee between thesse types of item ms and equippaable arms and armor. 159 Component Type Adamantite Ancient/Petrified Berry Blood/Flesh/Skin Bone/Skull Brain Carapace/Scales Coral Crystal Cursed Darkness/Demonic/Shadow Death/Rotting/Zombified Diamond Dragon Egg Elemental Eye Fang/Horn/Incisors Feather/Down/Molting Fire Flower/Fruit/Mossy Fragmented Giant/Shell/Husk Glass Goblin Goddess’/Deity Healing Ice Imperial Incense Iron/Metal Jewel/Gem/Ore/Gold Holy/Sacred Knowledge Lunar/Moon Magic/Ether/Luminous Mythril/Gemsteel/Pearl Nature/Plant/Leaf/Needle Nectar/Ambrosia/Wool Onion Orichalcum Pelt/Leather/Hide Poison/Tentacle Powder Prismatic Purified Rage Rainbow/Runic Robotic Royal/Noble/Calm Silk/Thread/Cloth Slime/Oil Soul/Halcyon Stone/Rock/Earth Tainted Tears Tyrant Whispering Water/Liquid Weapon Wild Wind Wings Wood/Lumber Zodiac/Sun/Star Min. Tier 8 5 1 5 2 2 2 5 7 2 2 6 6 5 6 5 2 5 6 2 3 4 2 2 3 6 2 2 4 3 2 6 6 5 2 2 6 3 6 2 7 3 2 2 5 2 2 6 2 2 2 2 6 3 5 2 5 2 3 5 2 2 6 3 8 Properties Piercing, Indestructible, Stoic, Impervious, Auto‐Protect, Party Effect Indestructible, Petrify Proof, Petrify Touch, Resurrection HP Restore, MP Restore, [Status] Heal (Any) SOS‐Regen, HP Drain, Unified, Transform Proof, Resurrection Undead Eater, SOS‐Regen, Zombie Heal Attribute Bonus (MND), Sentient, Auto‐Confuse, MP Restore Attribute Bonus (RES), Skill Bonus (Scavenge), [Element] Ward (Any), HP Restore Stop Touch, MP Damage, Water Field, Water Proof, Jagged, MP Restore Glowing, Indestructible, Spellburst (Dispel), Lucky, Overdrive Curse Touch, Auto‐Curse, Skill Bonus (Thievery), Curse Heal Auto‐Blind, Blind Touch, Fiend Eater, Skill Bonus (Stealth), Blind Heal Zombie Touch, Spellburst (Death), Shadow Field, Undead Slayer, Resurrection Attribute Bonus (RES), Indestructible, Auto‐Protect, Party Effect Triple Critical, Dragon Slayer, HP Restore Auto‐Life, Fragile, HP Restore, Remedy [Element] Enhancer (Any), [Element]‐Proof (Any), Arcana Eater, MP Restore Blind Touch, Blind Heal, Spellburst (Blank Gaze), Blind Proof, Skill Bonus (Awareness) Attribute Bonus (PWR), HP Drain, Jagged, Skill Bonus (Nature), SOS‐Haste, Stop Heal Attribute Bonus (DEX), Skill Bonus (Athletics), Auto‐Float, Resurrection Fire Strike, Fire Ward, Spellburst (Melt), Glowing, Auto‐Berserk Confuse Touch, Spellburst (Pollen), HP Restore, MP Restore, Variable Gemini, Broken, Seal Proof, Transform Heal Attribute Bonus (PWR), Insect Killer, Fear Heal Fragile, MP Restore Humanoid Killer, Spellburst (Goblin Bomb), Skill Bonus (Mercantile), Charm Heal Imperil, Overdrive, Fiend Slayer, Auto‐Life, Holy Field, Fear Proof, Remedy Alchemy, Skill Bonus (Healing), HP Restore, MP Restore Ice Strike, Ice Ward, Fragile, Stop Heal Follow‐Through, Skill Bonus (Inquiry), Confuse Heal, HP Restore Attribute Bonus (MND), Spellburst (Addle), Confuse Proof, MP Restore Attribute Bonus (RES), Stop Touch, Skill Bonus (Vehicles), SOS‐Protect, MP Restore Arcana Slayer, Accurate, Overdrive, Remedy, Special Ability (Gillionaire Job Ability) Glowing, Holy Field, Therapeutic, Holy Strike, Holy Proof, Resurrection Attribute Bonus (MND), MP Refresh, Confuse Touch, Skill Bonus (Any Lore), MP Restore Glowing, SOS‐Reflect, Sleep Touch, MP Restore Lightning Strike, Spellburst (Aspir) MP Damage, Arcana Eater, SOS‐Shell, MP Restore Auto‐Haste, Auto‐Reflect, Party Effect Jagged, Earth Strike, Plant Eater, Skill Bonus (Nature), Attribute Bonus (DEX), Variable MP Refresh, Sleep Touch, Sleep Proof, Therapeutic, Remedy Skill Bonus (Any Synthesis), Special Ability (Onion Knight shared ability), HP Restore Stoic, Triple Critical, Auto‐Protect, Auto‐Shell, Fear Proof, Party Effect Beast Killer, Beast Eater, Skill Bonus (Scavenge), Berserk Heal Poison Touch, Poison Proof, Spellburst (Poison), Virulent, Poison Heal MP Damage, SOS‐Shell, SOS‐Invisible, MP Restore MP Refresh, SOS‐Reflect, SOS‐Shell, Resurrection Alchemy, HP Restore, Poison Heal Berserk Touch, Auto‐Berserk, Berserk Heal, SOS‐Berserk, Pugilist, Fear Heal Fragile, Auto‐Regen, Remedy Unified, Construct Eater, Skill Bonus (Systems), Glowing, Confuse Heal Skill Bonus (Negotiation), HP Restore, Berserk Proof, Charm Heal Skill Bonus (Mercantile), Skill Bonus (Perform), HP Restore Amorph Eater, MP Restore, Special Ability (Chemical Spill Job Ability), Stop Heal Holy Strike, Overdrive, Auto‐Shell, Remedy Earth Strike, Earth Ward, Petrify Heal Spellburst (Hex), Shadow Strike, Zombie Heal Curse Touch, Skill Bonus (Acting), [Status] Heal (Any) HP Drain, Auto‐Berserk, Confuse Heal Sentient, MP Damage, Sleep Touch, Skill Bonus (Language), Sleep Proof, MP Restore Water Strike, Water Ward, Aquan Killer, Skill Bonus (Water), [Status] Heal (Any) Spellburst (Temper), Attribute Bonus (PWR), Follow‐Through, Triple Critical, Fear Heal Auto‐Transform, [Monster] Eater (Any), Skill Bonus (Animal Ken), MP Restore Wind Strike, Attribute Bonus (DEX), Wind Ward, SOS‐Flight, Stop Heal Auto‐Flight, Aerial Killer, Party Effect Accurate, Spellburst (Chivalry), SOS‐Float, HP Restore Break Damage Limit, Spellburst (Flare Star), Spellburst (Lux), Peerless 160 RECOVERY AND DEATH "With each passing day, the world finds new and exciting ways to kill a man." - Balthier Mid Bunansa Even the most cautious heroes will take a few lumps on the road to glory, and as the battles start coming in thick and fast, the injury tally is likely to rise in turn. This section looks at the aftermath: healing, resting, recuperating, and getting back to fighting fitness. GettingK.O.’d When your HP reaches zero, you are completely incapacitated. You can take no actions until revived and you become vulnerable to Notorious Monsters and Bosses that can outright kill characters in such a weakened state. Although curative Potions and healing spells that restore flat values of health generally have no effect while you’re in this state, you can return to the battle if an ally uses an item with the Resurrection property on you – such a Phoenix Down – and a handful of white magic spells and specific job abilities. After combat ends, all characters who had been knocked Unconscious get back to their feet and are treated as having one hit point. The White Mage’s innate ability can even automatically bring the entire party back to 100% HP after combat ends – a remarkably useful ability for any adventuring troupe. Resting The ability to recover lost Hit Points is crucial to a party’s long‐term survival. Magic and items can patch up injuries on the go, but can drain the party's resources if there's a lot of hurt to go around. The alternative is to let injuries heal up the natural way – with rest. To rest, characters need just two things: time and space. Time is self‐ explanatory – the longer the party has to kick back and relax, the more beneficial the rest will be. In order to benefit from a rest period, a character cannot undertake any complex or physically exerting activities during that time period unless they are directly related to the recovery process. In other words, taking the time to make splints and sewing wounds is fine; forging a sword or clearing boulders is not. Space is a little trickier. The default space requirement for rest is an area where the party can stretch out without fear of being attacked by marauding monsters and the like. In practical terms, this means that long stretches of rest are impossible in the middle of a dungeon thick with enemies unless the party can find some way to keep itself completely protected during that time ‐ it's difficult to really relax when there's a perpetual fear of monster ambush. A Full Rest is the best kind of relaxation a group can get, normally accomplished through an Inn or other establishment that caters to adventurers – though price can sometimes be a deterrent. Using a Tent or a Special Vehicle (with the Good Night’s Sleep property) to spend the night snoozing in dangerous wilderness also counts as a Full Rest. Travel Rest is typical of the kind of night's sleep a party will get on the road or when they’ve found a safe location deep within a dungeon. Assuming the party can rest for a full night without interruptions, they recover 50% of their maximum HP and MP. 161 HealingSkill Characters with the Healing Skill can usse their talentss to assist the nnatural healingg process, increeasing recoveryy nd long term. D During rest perriods, characteers may make aa skill check at varying difficu ulties – gains in both the short an was taking a Travel Rest, theyy recover 100% % of usually Chaallenging – to sspeed up the healing processs. If the party w their HP an nd MP back insstead of the no ormal value, as if it was a Full Rest. A failure m means the charaacter’s ministraations are veryy time‐consum ming; not only d does the party still only recovver the normal 50% HP and M MP, but the user of the skill d doesn’t get a w wink of sleep an nd doesn’t gett the benefits o of any sort of restt at all. ConsecrratedAreass Ordinarily, resting in the middle of a daangerous dunge eon is out of thhe question. But in some casses, the PCs maay mall patches off consecrated gground in othe erwise dangeroous territory, u usually marked by unusual features discover sm or simply aa noticeable au ura of magic en nergy. In addition, characterss with access to o a certain White Magic spell have the ability tto consecrate the earth. Such h areas naturally repel monssters and otherr hostile creatu ures, making it possible to o rest there for at least short periods of time. Injuries All characte ers suffer a few w scratches and scrapes during the course of their careerr, but some injuries can’t justt be shrugged o off with a Potio on and a good n night’s sleep. TThings like bro ken arms, trau uma and severeed vocal cords are all example es of these kind ds of major injuries, generally caused by reepeatedly beingg knocked uncconscious, nearr‐ death expe eriences, or exccruciatingly‐paainful failures o on Complicatioon skill checks. Injuries can beestow negativee attributes aas determined by the GM forr as long a periiod as the injurry remains. It ccan usually be treated by intu uitive white magic over a period, and lesser in njuries such as broken boness heal in weekss of game timee. Death D If the entire paarty gets kickedd around by a p pack of normal enemies and ends up being defea u ated, don’t worrry – this doesn’t mark the end of the camp paign. Most of the tim M me the party w will wake up in aa nearby safe llocation, losingg all EXP they had s E aved up. However, battl H ling a Boss or aa Notorious Mo onster makes tthings a little m more dangerous. Suc d ch creatures arre capable of ttaking an action to permanen ntly end the existen e nce of unconsccious PCs. Therre is absolutelyy no resurrection for dead character d rs without spe nding a large aamount of Destiny. Enemiesan E ndDeath When foes are W brought to ze ro hp, they aree considered ‘d defeated.’ Whaat this MEANS, exactly M y, is up to the player and thee GM to come tto a conclusion n on together. Dece t eased? Unconsscious? Lackingg any will to figght? Generally, foes are killed – but a t players shoul dn’t feel this iss morally wron ng. The proven existence of a l e life‐after‐deathh state in the FFinal Fantasy u universe generaally means that dea m ath is peacefull for all races, aand defeated m monstrosities aare absorbed back a into the univeersal holy enerrgy of the cosm mos. 162 LEVELLING UP "The way I see it, as long as you make it out of a battle alive, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream." - Seifer Almasy Upon gaining a level, the character gets the following bonuses. o The character gains Attribute Points! If the new level is odd, the character gets one point to put in any of his four attributes; PWR, RES, DEX, or MND. If the new level is even (for example, level 4 or 12), the character gains two ability points instead. He puts one point in two different attributes of his choice – for example, one point might go into MND, and one into DEX. A character cannot put both points into the same attribute. o The character gains 2 new skill points to put in any skill he likes. The player may also choose to hang on to them, and add them to his character sheet later after he’s decided what’s appropriate. o Every even level, the character gains a new ability, chosen from either their job list or the shared ability list. o o Finally, they get additional HP and MP; the bonus granted by their current Job. Now, just recalculate all of the character’s combat scores, such as avoidance, accuracy, HP, Finesse and Force and so on. And you’re done! GainingExperiencePoints Experience points, henceforce abbreviated as ‘EXP,’ serve as a tally of how close you are to hitting a new level. After obtaining 5 points of EXP you gain one level and your EXP total is reduced back to zero. EXP is awarded as follows; Combat (1 EXP): To defeat your foes, whether through direct combat, a successful plan, or other means awards a singular point of experience. Sometimes sneaking past foes will not award this EXP, as they were not 'defeated,' merely temporarily overcome….however, outsmarting your foes to avoid conflict generally counts as deserving of an EXP reward, at the GM's discretion. Fights where the foes are greatly below the party’s level or ability ‐ or aren’t fighting back ‐ do not award EXP. Major Enemy (1 or 3 EXP): To defeat a Notorious Monster or a Boss in an epic struggle will award an additional point of experience, or three if the villain was a truly titanic, save‐the‐world level End Boss. Generally, the foe must be defeated permanently for this EXP to be retrieved ‐ in a skirmish in which a Boss manages to flee the GM might rule that the bonus EXP isn’t awarded – however, the party does still receive the normal 1 EXP for Combat. Quest (1 to 3 EXP): Completing a minor mission or side quest will award one point of experience, and finishing a longer story arc or a major quest will award two or three points. A good rate for Quest experience to be distributed is usually about every second game session. Session (1 EXP): At the end of every single gaming session, all players who attended will be awarded 1 point of EXP. Just for showing up! 163 LIMIT BREAKS "You just don’t get it at all. THERE ISN’T A THING I DON’T CHERISH!!" - Cloud Strife Limit Breaks are special maneuvers which and are only accessible after a character sustains a substantial amount of damage, and are unlocked as the game progresses instead of right from level one. Although normally considered to be rarely‐seen attacks possessed by the PCs, some powerful foes may also have access to a Limit Break. ObtainingLimitBreaksandLimitAbilities Over the course of the chronicle the GM might decide that you have reached a major milestone – you and your allies have triumphed over an arch‐nemesis, reached the end of a major plot arc, or even just accomplished one or more Life Goals. At this point, the GM might reward you by granting you a Limit Break and a Limit Ability. The abilities are located in each Job’s individual write‐up, whereas a Limit Break is unique to your character and constructed with a point‐by system. Generally, characters only ever earn a maximum of three limit breaks – the first one being built with ten points, a second with twenty, and a third and final with thirty – but GMs who are experienced with the system might have their own plans. Although granting these Limit Breaks and Abilities is ultimately best saved for dramatically‐appropriate moments, we’d like to mention that ten‐point limit breaks are most effective when the party is level 3‐5, that twenty‐point breaks are solid in the level 7‐9 range, and that you probably don’t want to hand out powerful thirty‐point limit breaks until levels 12‐14. UsingLimitBreaks There are two ways to perform a Limit Break. First, they can be randomly accessed while making your attack's attack accuracy roll. When a character rolls a pair of sixes, this represents a Critical Hit, and a possible Limit Break. If the character has 25% of his maximum health remaining or less, the character may use a Limit Break of their choice instead of his regular attack. Characters with the Shared Ability ‘Limit Breaker’ or the ‘Overdrive’ equipment property may perform such techniques at 50% or less of their health instead. Secondly, a character can use a Limit Break by spending three points of Destiny. Limit Breaks used in this way require a standard action to perform and can only be used on the character’s turn. Regardless of how the Limit Break is used, a character may only use one Limit Break per round. A Limit Break may have almost any effect. It may simultaneously heal allies and cause damage to enemies, or any number of other things. Characters retain older Limit Breaks when they gain a new one. Thus, the character may choose to use any one of the Limit Breaks in his possession when they become accessible. 164 Limit Break Creation The Limit Break Creation System that follows will help you design the special moves your character will learn over the course of their career. It uses a point‐buy method to determine the exact effects of a given Limit Break. Point costs are listed in each section, and vary from effect to effect. A complete list follows over the following pages. There are three types of limit breaks – straightforward moves built with 10 points, more powerful breaks that use 20, and truly staggering expressions of power that use 30. It’s up to the GM what sort of Limit Breaks you’ll receive, and when. Area Effect (5 Points) The limit break affects either all enemies or all allies. This ability cannot be combined with the 5‐point Refund version of Random Target. Attack: Weapon (3 Points) The Limit is designed to inflict heavy damage on the target using your equipped weapon. This sort of Limit break may either deal ARM or M.ARM damage, and uses your normal attack to determine how much damage is dealt – with some modifications. First, Attack: Weapon always deals non‐elemental damage unless paired with the Elemental property – even if your weapon would normally deal elemental damage of a specific type. Secondly, the damage dealt is increased based on the rank of the Limit Break; consult the chart below. Limit Break Rank Damage Step Increase 1 +2 2 +4 3 +6 Thus, if Cid was to wield a Sword that did (PWR x 1) + 2d6 points of damage, a Rank 1 limit break would alter this damage to be (PWR x 3) + 2d6. A Rank 3 limit would alter this damage to be (PWR x 7) + 2d6. Limit breaks are considered to be Medium‐range attacks, no matter the weapon with which they are performed, and Attack: Weapon cannot be combined with Attack: Magic. Attack: Magic (3 Points) Attack: Magic is the spellcaster’s version of Attack: Weapon. Rather than elaborate blade dances or crushing axe blows, you use the power of your magical arts to burn, freeze, disintegrate, or otherwise destroy your foes in spectacular ways. Choose one damage‐dealing spell you know, which is cast at this time for no MP as an Instant action. Just like Attack: Weapon, the spell’s damage is increased by 2 steps for a Rank one Limit Break, 4 steps for a Rank two limit, and 6 steps for a Rank three. In addition, damage dealt in this way is Non‐elemental despite its normal type, unless you also take the Elemental effect. It is also still reduced by M.ARM as normal, and Attack: Magic cannot be combined with Attack: Weapon. Backfire (3 Point Refund) The limit break is dangerous to its user as well as to his enemies, for every time the power is used, there is a 25% chance that it backfires affecting the user instead of its intended target. May not be combined with beneficial 165 Primary Effects such as Revive, Healing or Clear, and may not be used in conjunction with Random Target. If combined with Area Effect, a Backfire causes all allies to be affected. Break Arts (4 Points) Break Arts damage an opponent's attributes in battle. Multiple Break Arts of the same type are not cumulative. 4 points will allow any of the following, of your choice. Power Break, which reduces a foe's physical attack damage and Force score by half for 4 rounds. Armor Break, which reduces a foe's ARM and M.ARM scores to zero for 4 rounds. Magic Break, which reduces a foe's magical attack damage and healing power by half for 4 rounds. Or Speed Break, which reduces a foe’s Finesse, AVD and ACC scores by half for 4 rounds. Clear (5 Points) Clear removes all negative status effects from the target. Death Attack (10 or 20 Points) This requires a successful opposed check. Death Attack slams a single opponent with a maneuver reduces their health by 50% of the maximum value. For the 20‐point version, Death Attack reduces the target to 0 hit points instantly, but does not work on Bosses or Notorious Monsters. Debilitate (2 Points) Debilitate infuses the enemy with a random elemental weakness. Roll 1d6 and consult the following table to determine which one. If cast a second time, the new weakness will replace the first. Lasts until the battle ends or the weakness is overridden by a new attempt to Debilitate. If the target already possesses an Immunity or Absorbency to the resultant element, roll again. Taking this ability twice will allow for the user of the limit break to choose a weakness instead of rolling one randomly, and also allows the user of the limit break to choose Shadow or Holy as an elemental weakness. Die Roll (d6) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Inflicted Weakness Fire Ice Water Lightning Wind Earth Drain HP (3 or 6 Points) The limit break, which must deal damage of some type to the opponent, returns 50% of the damage dealt back to the user as health, restoring his HP. For 6 points, Drain HP allow the user to return 100% instead. HP Drain may not be combined with Healing. Drain MP (3 or 6 Points) The limit break, which must deal damage of some type to the opponent, returns 50% of the damage dealt back to the user as magical energy, restoring his MP. For 6 points, Drain MP will allow the user to return 100% instead. MP Restore may not be combined with Healing. 166 Elementa al (1 or 3 Poin nts) The attack carries a certaain element witth it ‐ Fire, Ice, etc., and doess damage of th hat type. If the limit break is u used of the weapon. If with a weaapon that has aan elemental property, the ellement of the limit overridess the element o your eleme ental choice is Holy, then the e cost of this efffect is increaseed from 1 to 3. If the target is immune or resistant to o the Element of that type, normal damage e is dealt insteaad. As always, if multiple Elem ments are used d in the Limit Break, treat the e attack as whicchever elemen nt would be moost effective. Elementa al Mastery (2 or 5 Points)) Grants one e target an Abssorbency to one element for two rounds (A All damage dealt by that elem ment is reversed, restoring H HP instead of re educing it). The e element musst be chosen w when the abilityy is learned, an nd Undead targgets still only ge et an Immunityy instead of an Absorbency. FFor 5 points, thhe Absorbencyy lasts until thee end of combaat. Healing (5, 10, or 20 Pooints) For 5 pointts, a target of yyour choice reggains 50% of th heir HP or MP, chosen when this Effect is ad dded to the lim mit break. For 10 points, the target either rrecovers 50% o of their total H P and MP, or 1100% of either,, decided when n the 20‐point versio on fully recoverrs a target’s HPP and MP to th heir maximum values. Limit Breakk is used. The 2 Movemen nt (1, 2, or 5 Points) The Limit Brreak causes eitther the user o or its target to move a distance bbased on the n number of poin nts spent – Sho ort Range for oone point, Med dium Range forr 2 points, and Long Range for 5 points. This can be used to knockkback opponen nts, but also to get allies out off harm’s way o or perform attaacks at extremee distances. A Allies do not haave Slow action ns interrupted when friendly chaaracters perforrm beneficial Limit Breaks involving thhem, including Movement. Multi‐Atttack (6 Pointts, See Below w) The Limit B Break now requ uires an attackk roll, and mustt be combined with the Attacck: Weapon efffect. For 6 poiints, the charactter using the Limit Break now w attacks twice e, potentially ddealing its damage twice. Forr 12 points, thee character aattacks 3 timess. For 18 pointss, 4 times; so fo orth and so onn. Each attack m may target a different enemyy. Multi‐Spe ell (6 Points, See Below) The Limit B Break must be combined with h the Attack: M Magic effect. Foor 6 points, thee character using the Limit B Break may cast th he spell one ad dditional time. For 18 points, the character casts the spell three times in n rapid successsion, and so on. Neutralizze (3 or 8 Points) For 3 pointts, Neutralize removes all We eaknesses and Resistances froom the target until combat eends, and redu uces all Immunitties and Absorrbencies to Ressistances. For 8 8 points, Neutrralize completeely removes all Weaknesses, Vulnerabilities, Resistancces, Immunitiess and Absorbencies from thee target until co ombat ends 167 New Form (1+ Points) The character or the limit break’s target adopts a completely different form when the Limit Break is used, changing its type from the standard ‘Humanoid’ to any of the following categories; Aerial, Amorph, Arcana, Aquan, Beast, Construct, Dragon, Fiend, Insect, Plant, or Undead, chosen when the Limit Break is created. If the user of New Form is the one targeted by this limit break, they gain a passive benefit; For every point spent in New Form, you may temporarily increase one attribute by 2 and decrease another by 2. Thus, New Form 10 allows you to increase one or more attributes by a total of twenty points, and decrease one or more attributes by twenty points as well for the duration of the shape change. You may use the points spent to purchase Biological Monster Abilities for this shape, the effects and costs of which can be found in the table below. New Form lasts until the character chooses to end the effects, gains a level, or is reduced to 0 hit points. Name Points Effect Regeneration Swift Strikes Flight Large Unusual Defense: Physical Unusual Defense: Magical Swarm 4 4 4 5 6 Controlled Defense Multiple Parts 16 6 8 22 During combat, you gain a number of Hit Points at the start of each of your turns equal to your level. You may calculate damage with any weapon with your DEX attribute. You gain Flight, as per the status effect. Your physical size increases noticeably, making you immune to Knockback effects. You suffer double damage from Magic‐based attacks, but physical attacks only deal half damage to you. When combined with Protect, physical attacks are reduced to 25%. You suffer double damage from physical attacks, but spells and magical attacks only deal half damage to you. When combined with Shell, magic damage is reduced to 25%. You split into dozens or even hundreds of copies of yourself, allowing you to take half damage from all Single‐ target spells, attacks and abilities. You are also immune to status effects and knockback effects with a Single target. Conversely, any damage that with a Local or Group target deals double damage to you. You may switch back and forth between Unusual Defense: Magical and Unusual Defense: Physical as an Instant action on your turn. You gain two additional ‘parts,’ each one possessing an HP score equal to 25% of your maximum. Each multiple part allows you to take one additional standard action each round and may be revived by spending a point of Destiny if they are destroyed. Piercing (4 Points) The attack, which must deal damage in some fashion, is able to penetrate even the strongest of enemy defenses. The Limit Break ignores ARM and M.ARM. Power Item (1 Point Refund) The Limit Break cannot be performed unless the character has a certain item available in their inventory, whether it be a crystal shard, a set of pointed red sunglasses, the ashes of their fallen comrade, or even just access to their weapon. Random Target (1 or 3 Point Refund) The attack is chaotic in nature and cannot be completely controlled. For the 1 point refund, the technique targets a random enemy (or ally, if the limit break is beneficial). For the 3‐point refund the target is completely random, and may be either an enemy or a friend. If combined with Area Effect, the limit break targets a random Group. Revenge (4 points) A Revenge attack – which must be combined with Attack: Weapon or Attack: Magical – has greater effect as your health declines. A limit break with this effect does additional damage equal to half the difference between your max HP and your current HP‐ i.e., half the amount of damage you have taken so far. If Revenge is taken twice, it instead does additional damage equal to the entire difference between your maximum HP and your current. 168 Revive (3 points) A companion finds the strength to rise and fight on thanks to you. This effect revives a character whose Hit Points have been depleted, returning him to consciousness and restoring 1 HP. Revive cannot be used on an Undead enemy. Self‐Only (1 Point Refund) The effect, which must be beneficial in nature, works in such a way so that it can only affect its user ‐ no other ally or enemy may be targeted. May not be used in conjunction with Area Effect, Short Range, or Random Target. Short Range (1 Point Refund) Normally, all Limit Breaks are considered Medium Ranged, meaning they can target flying creatures or without penalty. However, with this effect the attack or is restricted to melee range. Must be combined with an offensive ability and cannot be combined with Self‐Only. Specialized Target (1 or 5 Point Refund) One or more types of monster is unaffected by attack. For one point, choose one type of creature from the following list that is Immune to the Limit Break; Aerial, Amorph, Arcana, Aquan, Beast, Construct, Dragon, Fiend, Humanoid, Insect, Plant, or Undead. For a 5 point refund, ALL types of monsters are Immune to the attack except for one chosen category. Specialized Target cannot be taken more than once, and the user cannot choose a specialized target for a species that he belongs to. For example, a Blue Mage with the Dragon mutation could not choose a Humanoid or Dragon specialized target. Stat Boost (4 points) A Stat Boost augment the subject's normal abilities, making them stronger, tougher, faster, or smarter. When taking this effect, choose an attribute such as DEX or PWR or MND, and increase the damage dealt and healing provided by all attacks and spells of that type by one step. For example, if a weapon was to do (PWR x 1) points of damage, it will now do (PWR x 2) instead, and so on. This effect remains until the end of the game session and may not be combined with Backfire, but may be taken multiple times to increase the damage steps by an additional one each time. Status Effect (Varies, consult chart below) The limit break attempts to bestow one or more positive or negative status effects on the target with an opposed Force or Finesse roll. The power of the limit break determines which positive or negative status effects are available. By adding multiple status effects the costs are cumulative for example, inflicting an enemy with Zombie, Poison and Sleep would cost a total of 9 points. Positive status effects last until combat ends. Negative status effects last for a total of 4 rounds, except for Stun, which, as always, only lasts until the end of the monster or character’s next turn. Limit Rank 1 2 3 Status Effect Stop, Poison, Blind, Sleep, Charm, Reflect Confuse, Berserk, Seal, Curse, Zombie, Protect, Shell, Flight Slow, Transform, Petrify, Stun, Haste, Auto‐Life 169 Point Cost 2 4 8 Stylish (11 point) The Limit B Break is combin ned with a dazzling display off light, color, oor raw power to o awe allies an nd enemies alikke. After the Limit Break is used, all allies re eceive a +1 bonus to ACC andd AVD until thee beginning off your next turn n. ely, all enemiess suffer a ‐1 pe enalty to ACC and AVD for thee same duratio on. Alternative For each time Stylish is taaken after the first, the cost iincreases by 1.. (So to give alll allies a +3 bon nus, Stylish wo ould 6 points in totaal; 1 for the firsst, 2 for the seecond, 3 for thee third) Sinkingg 28 need to be taken three times and cost 6 points into Stylish would grant a total b bonus or penalty of 7 ACC andd EVA. Upgrade (Varies) You may gaain the benefitts of any weapo on or armor prroperty at the cost of two po oints per Tier reequired. For example, iff you wished to o gain the HP D Drain property – which requi res Tier 5 equiipment – you w would need to purchase U Upgrade for 10 points. Break Damage Limit would cost 166, and so on. Th he effects of Upgrade last un ntil the end of com mbat. Worldsha aker (Varies)) Your limit b break carries such fury that the ground trem mbles and the tides change, volcanoes exp plode and the w wind becomes sttill. For 3 pointts, the terrain b becomes active ely hostile. The e air nearby beecomes superh heated, meteors break through the atmospherre and slam intto the earth’s ccrust nearby, th he air become . The terrain deals damage to o all enemies aand allies at the e start of each of their turns, based on your level – take aa look at p.153 for the Recurrring Damage cchart regarding tterrain. For 3 pointts, you can also o create Fire, Icce, Wind, Wate er, Earth, or Ligghtning Elemental Terrain in the current arrea, lasting until combat endss. For 6 points, you may creatte Holy or Shaddow elemental terrain insteaad. e and detrimen ntal effects cauused by Worldsshaker affect o only enemies in nstead For 9 pointts, you can makke the damage of all Local targets. 170 ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES "As I grew up, everyone I knew died, one by one, until eventually it was just me. And all of their dreams fell on my shoulders. I was their’ last hope’." - Noel Kreiss Not every difficulty the PCs will face can be as easily defined as a horde of evil foes brandishing weapons. This section discusses traps, breaking objects, and more. SocialChallenges A smart group of adventurers doesn't get in a fight with every living thing they meet. Unfortunately, there are times when others block the way forward – uncooperative guards, recalcitrant informants, enemy spies, and prowling monsters will test the characters’ bartering, sneaking, and role‐playing skills to the limit. Unlike physical challenges, social challenges hinge on what a character says as much as how they roll. If a PC attempts to use a persuasive skill like Negotiation, the player must act out the attempt as well as simply rolling for it. Good performances might net the player a bonus or waive the roll entirely, assuming this is in character; no amount of smooth talking on the player's part can compensate for a Complication on that Negotiation roll. Here’s some examples of how difficult Negotiation checks might be. Negotiation Difficulty Situation Elementary (5) Convince an admiring fan that you really are just that amazing. Easy (7) Haggle a deal with a shopkeeper in a backwater village, seduce a Gambler. Moderate (9) Impress a diplomat or noble with your well‐reasoned arguments. Challenging (11) Insult an imperial soldier until he opens the prison door to come strike you. Impressive (14) Leave a monster trembling in fear from your intimidating stare. Lie to an Esper or a Judge and get away with it. Heroic (17) Rally a small army for your cause, lie to a mind‐reader and get away with it. Supreme (20) Have the king agree to step down and give you the throne instead. Godlike (25) Befriend a Tonberry. Impossible (30) SubmersionandDrowning At times Final Fantasy heroes will find it necessary to travel underwater to arrive at their destination, or battle foes beneath the waves. A simple (if rather difficult to believe) rule covers such situations. A character can hold their breath for a total number of full rounds equal to (2 + half their Swimming Skill, rounded down), after which time they are considered to have run out of air. After this point, at the start of every round they have a flat 25% chance of being Stunned and losing 25% of their maximum HP, able to do nothing but swim toward the surface to the best of their ability. A character who succeeds on a Godlike or Impossible swimming skill at any point in time during the game permanently gains the ability to breathe underwater and suffer none of the previously‐mentioned penalties. A character can only be killed by prolonged submersion and suffocation under extreme conditions. 171 ObjectsandHardn ness Whether itt be as complexx as a suit of M M‐Tek Armor orr as simple as aa tightly‐packeed clay cell wall, players and characters alike will always find reasons to destroy baarriers and ina nimate objectss. Although characters with tthe e Strike ability are better suitted to rip a patth through the ir surroundinggs, anyone mayy destroy an ob bject Destructive or structure if they succeed at a Force sskill test. Thus, objects cannoot slowly weakken under a con ntinued assault of attacks; it’ss all or nothingg. The difficulty of breakingg an object is th he same as anyy other check –– the characterr must make a successful Forrce han an object’ss difficulty valu ue to destroy itt. Consult the cchart below for information o on roll equal tto or greater th typical – an nd not‐so‐typiccal – materials and objects. Equippable e items – armo or, shields, weaapons, accessories, etc. – cannnot be broken n or damaged w with a simple FForce check. Object Difficultyy to Break Glass and P Pottery Elementaary (5) Wood Easy (7) e (9) Crystal Moderate Challenging (11) Flimsy Mettal Stone Impressivve (14) d Metal / Steel Heroic (17) Reinforced Diamond Supreme (20) m 25) Adamantite / Orichalcum Godlike (2 A Toweringg Skyscraper Impossiblle (30) ElementtalField From howling snowstorm ms to blisteringg heat, the ents that playerrs will find themselves fightin ng in is environme nearly endless. But such cconditions mean more than jjust e risk of develo oping a case off heatstroke orr the running the sniffles. Other chapters m mention Difficu ult Terrain, and d the me damage, orr suggested ruling of recurrring or one‐tim penalties to o rolls and deffenses. But parrticularly strongg weather orr terrain condittions – like the e inside of a volcano or in the midd dle of a hurricaane – can warp p and accumulaate large conceentrations of EElemental enerrgy. Magical atttacks made in an n Elemental Fie eld have their d damage increased by two steeps if they sharre the same eleement. For example, characters battling in the free ezing tundra m might discover ttheir Ice elemeental spells or IIce‐Strike weap pons deal additio onal damage. Traps Traps can ggive a party ple enty of headacches without evver straining thheir sword arm ms. They can deeal damage dirrectly, inflict statu uses, sound alaarms that summ mon or release e monsters for the PCs to figh ht, and more. A common trap is a ‘Mon nster‐In‐A‐Box’, a creature off almost any tyype that lives w within the dark confines of a treasure ch hest, bursting o out to attack unsuspecting ad dventurers. Oddds are pretty good that you can describe m most 172 traps as an aspect of Difficult Terrain; taake a look at p p.155 of this boook and glancee at the one‐tim me damage ch hart to see what le evel of injury itt might be appropriate for a ttrap to cause. Alternattiveusesfo orMagic Aside from m causing directt damage, inflicting status efffects and healiing allies, charaacters may also use the pow wer of the elemen nts to manipulaate the environ nment. Possiblle effects incluude: Earth: Can cause tremorss that can quickly damage an nd destroy smaaller environmeental features,, opening up ections. previously inaccessible se Fire: Settin ng things on fire e is the easiestt way to make a battle a littlee more interessting. Structurees and vegetatiion burn up slo owly enough th hat they’ll mosst probably be ablaze for the rest of the batttle; combatan nts, however, aare far less durable. Anyone caught in the middle of a fire will suffer fire eleemental damaage for each ro ound spent in the hart for Difficu ult Terrain on pp.153. Environm mental featurees set on fire an nd blaze; conssult the Recurrring Damage ch then rigged d to fall on opp ponents might deal physical ffire damage ra ther than maggical. Ice: Ice Elemental attackss have the ability to freeze bo odies of water or ice over sogggy ground, tu urning previoussly e areas into Diffficult Terrain. traversable Lightning: Capable of pow wering – or overloading – heavy machineryy and electroniic devices. Thee exact results o of ns depend on tthe device in question, but co ould easily rangge from destro oying a shield ggenerator such action protecting a major villain to activating aan elevator to high ground. n sweep smalle er environmental features ou ut of the way aand soak into solid ground, tu urning it into m muddy Water: Can and Difficult Terrain. Thiss probably causses penalty to AVD at the verry least. Wind: Knock things over or blow smalle er objects away – a good wayy for retrievingg things that w would normally be beyond the e party's reach. It may also disperse other aatmospheric coonditions, like snow and fog. 173 CHAPTER VI: THE WORLD "No matter how dark the night, the morning always comes. And our journey begins anew.” - Balthier Mid Bunansa One of the largest problems with the Final Fantasy series – at least where tabletop gaming is concerned – is the lack of a recurring setting. There are repeated fundamentals that appear in most games in the series, such as Chocobos, Moogles, and magical crystals tied to a heroic prophecy, but even these common elements are absent in a handful of titles. You can base the game in any location or world you wish. More than one Final Fantasy game has seen the cast board a shuttle to the moon or descend deep into the dwarven caves beneath the earth – however, some GMs specifically wish to run their games while using one of the canon worlds as a backdrop. In this chapter we’ll discuss most of the Final Fantasy game settings as briefly as possible, suggest several adventures that could take place in the world, and give suggestions on how to modify the standard rules to replicate the setting. What you won’t find, however, are plot synopsizes or descriptions of places in the games. No matter how detailed a world’s description might be, we believe that distilling all the energy and fire that made a game interesting down to dry facts and descriptions is a terrible thing. (We also don’t want to see this already long book get even longer.) Consider this chapter more a repository of additional/optional rules than any attempt at helping the GM build a campaign world. And speaking of optional rules… OptionalRule:AlternateEXPVariants For many players – especially those who are new to the system – the rapid level gain presented in the core book is too quick. Heroes who begin and end their careers in the span of six months of regular play might be undesirable to groups who prefer their epic tales to be equally epic in length. If the presented suggestion for the rate of EXP accumulation doesn’t work for you, consider one of the following fixes; Leveling‐Up takes place during story events. With this method, players don’t worry about experience points at all and instead gain a level whenever the GM deems it to be appropriate. The benefit to this is that everyone levels‐up together at the end of a session, reducing downtime during games and making sure nobody feels ‘left behind’ for missing a few sessions. It also allows you to pace the game to be as slow or as fast as you and your group like. Change the amount of EXP needed to gain a Level. This is almost an easy fix as the above suggestion. Some players don’t want to stop tracking EXP completely, and instead feel the best solution would be to increase the amount of experience needed per level from 5. Changing it to 10, for example, effectively assumes characters will still gain a level every three to four game sessions, depending on how combat‐intensive your games might be. Distant Places Outside of the familiar world our heroes likely inhabit, isolated dimensions and secluded realities give birth to powerful monsters and are home to cosmic wanderers, Espers, and even the souls of the dead. Below is a sample of two possible alternate dimensions that may appear in your Final Fantasy games. 174 TheVoid d The Void re efers to an actu ual, physical diimension that can often takee a form familiaar to those who traverse it, o or can be reshape ed at will by the e current denizzens thereof. EEntire deserts, fortresses, forrests, caverns aand so forth haave been birthe ed within the V Void, interconn nected through h a series of paassages that offten seem to co ontradict logicc. The rules of spaace and time d do not necessarily seem to ap pply the same w way as they do o in the normaal world, and time does not se eem to flow at all for any inhabitants of this place. In its uunchanged statte, the Void is a dimension o of infinite notthingness. The Void iss known to be aa connective dimension, thro ough which othher realities an nd worlds can b be reached. Du ue to this fascinaating feature about the Void, countless num mbers of poweer‐hungry magees have soughtt to control it aand wield the d dimension as a cosmic weapo on – and at tim mes, they have come close to succeeding. The Void seemss to possess the e power to disttort or destroyy matter, consu uming it utterlyy. The rampant nihilistic atttitude of those e seeking to maake use of its ppower is well‐reecorded. Often n times, this starts out as a sim mple desire forr incredible pow wer but inevitaably leads to a n intense desire to reduce all of everythingg to a state of non‐existence. So ome scholars sspeculate that this is becausee The Void is an intelligent, sentient being instead of tthis merely being the result o of gaining use of such destru ctive power; they speculate that the Void controls itss users just as m much as they influence contrrol over it. Entrance to o the Void is ass simple as stepping through a Dimensiona l Gate created d with the Timee Magic spell o of the same name e. However, lea aving has alwaays been much h more difficultt, which makess the Void a suitable prison…fro ozen in time…fo or the most feaarsome beasts in existence. SSome beings –– such as Ultima Weapon and d Gilgamesh – reside within n the Void and d use the powe ers of the dimeension to hop b between world ds. TheFa arplane The Farpplane is where tthe souls of the d reside, a peaceful afterlife tthat deceased remains a mystery to all those but itss hat are permaneent inhabitantss. Only souls th at rest trravel here – thee dead who stiill have yet to acccept harbor reesentment or h their fatee still wander tthe world, ultim mately becoming Fiends suffussed with the powers of hatred d. The Farpplane can be vissited by the livving, n images of the deceased – little and often more thaan figments – ccan appear to tthose who seekk them. Races Although aa character’s Raace doesn’t usually provide aany mechanicaal benefits or detriments, GM Ms and players who are lookingg for informatio on on a specific ‘playable spe ecies’ in the Finnal Fantasy wo orld could do w worse than browse the next se ection. We’ve ccompiled triviaa on over half aa dozen races rranging from M Moogles to Hum mans (often caalled Humes or H Hyur) that should help spur rroleplaying quirks or even sugggest possible character goals. 175 HUME H Wildly diverse and infinitelyy tenacious, their ability to make e a home in evenn the most inh hospitable of environments has made Humes th he standard agaiinst which all oth her races are me easured. Resourceful, stubborn and proud, thei r goals and de esires are as dive erse as they are.. Typical Heigght Typical Weigght 1.6 – 1.8m (Male) 68 – 102kg (M Male) 52 – 91kg (Fe emale) 1.5 – 1.7m (Female) Hair Colors Lifespan Blond, blackk, brown, Young is 5 ‐16 years old. auburn, white Average is 17 7 ‐ 59 years old. Old is 60 ‐ 90 0 years old. Eye Colors Brown, blue e, green Society As it develop ps, Hume society inevitably gravvitates towards governmentt of the masses h headed by a singgle leader. In primitive societies, this may be an eld der or high priest; in more advan nced esident, King, or Emperor. As a rresult, the aspeccts circles, a pre of a given Hume society ten nd to reflect in its leadership; an altruistic kin ng begets a bene evolent populace e, whereas power‐hunggry emperors typ pically breed a harsh and militaristic o one. Stratification is a common ffeature of Hume e civilization, pitting rich again nst poor, believe ers against non‐believers, aristocracy against peasantryy, education against igno orance. This often leads to deep and powerful inequalities;; ‘class’ can be as much of a iden ntifying and motivating ffactor as a sparkk for conflict. Roleplay ying Hume perso onalities are largely shaped by upbringing and social backgrounds, and can n be as varied an nd complex as the culturres that spawned them. Backgro ound, too, affectts choice of proffession; characteers from rough‐aand‐tumble surroundinggs may turn to th he sword – or a llife of crime – to o make ends meeet, while those w with wealth and d education seekk out loftier callings. Interaction b between differen nt social strata ccan be fraught w with tension; for rich sophisticatees, the lower claasses he poor view the e wealthy as arro ogant and utterlyy detached from m reality. are ignorantt boors, while th Language e Humes invented the Commo on Tongue, with h regional accentts ranging from the mild to the iincomprehensib ble; a trained earr can often pick out a speaker’s nationality and ed ducation with on nly a handful of sentences. Hum me scholars who dabble in variou us other languaages often pointt out how the Co ommon Tongue has picked up a smattering of sllang, curses, and d exclamations ffrom different lan nguages altogeth her and incorporrated them into everyday speecch. Jobs Humes run tthe gamut from sly and crafty to o noble and virtu uous, and there’’s no distinct Jobb that the race faavors over any o other. Gamblers arre more commonly Hume than aany other race – – perhaps this is a direct link to tthe carefree, chaaotic lives they lead. 176 EL LVAAN N Though theyy resemble Hum mes, Elves are taller, slightly thinn ner, with more m muscle definition, long necks, an nd oval faces. Th heir skins are darker than the avverage Hume’s, rranging from ligh ht tan to a bronzze or copper color. Their best‐kn nown features, however, arre their pointed ears, which prottrude from theirr heads at lengthhs between fifteen and ttwenty centimetters. Neither gen nder could be re eferred to as fraiil or delicate, and the Elvaan aas a whole are p physically powerfful and indepen dent creatures co ompared to man ny of the other raaces. These proud d humanoids havve been involved d in bitter civil w wars and protraccted conflicts witth other races sin nce the dawn off time, and it is o only now that thhey have finally laid their swords to rest and allo owed themselve es the luxury of several gene erations of peace. Typical Heigght Typical Weigght 1.8 – 2.1m (Male) 51 – 87kg (M Male) 1.7 – 2.0m (Female) 45 – 69kg (Fe emale) Lifespan Hair Colors Blond, blackk, gray, white Young is 12 ‐20 years old. Average is 21 1 ‐ 80 years old. Old is 81 ‐ 12 20 years old. Eye Colors Gray, green,, blue Society Elvaan civilizzation is highly d developed and regimented to exxtremes – a dracconian perfection aachieved centuries ago and perp petuated ever sin nce. For its citizeens, lawfulness, o order, and obed dience to the state are the cardin nal virtues; to thhis end, most Elvaan n nations sport an extensive arm my. All able‐bodie ed Elvaan citizenns receiving at least some level of training in arms; should the time come for aan on to march to w war, the line is he eld not by the kn nights of the royyal Elvaan natio families but by the citizens’ militias. within Elvaan so ociety is strongly aristocratic, divvided clearly intoo the Leadership w Haves and H Have‐Nots. Prodiigious Elvaan life espans mean thaat rulers’ reigns can stretch fifty years or more, lleaving eligible rregents and heirrs with plenty of f time to engage in co ourtly intrigue ovver the succession. Roleplay ying Pride is at th he root of the Elvvaan psyche. Fro om early on, Elvaan are taught tto be proud of the eir race's accomplishments, the culture and achievements in waarfare that predate other races' by centturies at a time. As a result, theyy treat other racces with a ndescension – on ne that turns to out‐and‐out furry should that 'Ellvaan superiorityy' ever be challeenged. Tellingly, Elvaan haughty con have just as little patience fo or their own kind; duels over slights and insults – both real andd imagined – are a common occurrence in their society, and can set the stage for familyy feuds destined to last for a cenntury or more. Language e Elvish is a ne eedlessly compliicated language but an oft‐spoken one, though years of study aare required to u utter even a singgle word withou ut deeply offend ding any Elvaan llisteners. Jobs Elvaan are renowned for the eir martial comb batants – Samurai, Warriors, Moonks, Dragoons, and Dark Knightts primarily. Verry few Elvaan choo ose the aestheticc life that comes with a magical upbringing – thoough those that do often avoid tthe ‘pure’ schoo ols, and choose Red Magic instead. 177 GA ALKA The heavyse et Galka are quitte an interestingg sight. Smooth ggreenish‐gray skkin, a rigid tail, a hint at reptilian ancestry, and expressive faces are covered d with short fur.. Despite this bru utish outward a ppearance they are not stupid b by any stretch off the imagination, excelling in min ning, metalworkk and other mattters of engineeriing. Unlike mostt other races, Galka have no genderr, though their m manner is distincctively male. Typical Heigght Typical Weigght 2.5 – 2.8m 160 – 220kg Hair Colors Lifespan Black, brown n, gray, red Young is 16 ‐24 years old. Average is 25 5 ‐ 50 years old. Eye Colors Old is 51 – 90 0+ years old. Blue, green, brown Society The Galka m may have once haad a culture to ccall their own; if so, it has been llost to history since e the race's gloryy days, leaving aa nomadic people that makes itss home in any societty willing to acce ept them. Findin ng such hosts is rrarely difficult; aas architects, aartisans or simple physical labor,, Galka have the e potential to eassily drive an enttire economy. Du ue to a lack of w written language,, the passage of history and culture is entrussted to ‘Talekeep pers’ who act ass a repository of ancestral me emory. Few are aware that the Galka undergo aa cycle of reincarrnation; the details o of this process arre nebulous even to the Galka th hemselves. Thouugh they visibly age, tthe Galka do nott die of natural ccauses. Rather, u upon reaching a certain age, a Galkaa simply bids his friends and fello ows farewell and d sets out into thhe wilderness. The timing of th his journey is carrefully calculated d through n with the Taleke eeper over a perriod of several w weeks, during whhich time the consultation leave‐taker is invited to speak freely and at length of his life e, his insights annd achievementss in the spirit of closure. Thus d, the Galka depaarts as is never sseen again. Mon nths later a juvennile Galka will arrrive to seek thee Talekeeper’s co ounsel, unburdened still innocent to the ways off the world and h his people. For their part, Talekeeepers seem to be possessed off almost unnaturral longevity, re eliably serving th heir purpose for generation afte er generation. Roleplay ying Though som metimes seen as slow‐witted or aapathetic, Galka are creatures oof deep emotion and rigid self‐co ontrol. From earrly on they are tau ught to bottle up p negative feelings such as angerr, frustration, annd hatred, releassing them only in their final meeeting with the Talekeeper. In this manner, Galkan n wisdom goes, tthe race is proteected from feelinngs that could ultimately destro oy it. Faced with aa potentially infinite lifespan, Gaalka try to adoptt a detached wo rld‐view, outwaiting and outliving hardships insstead of tackling them head‐on. To this end, mostt grievances are simply swalloweed and disagreeements rarely voiced – a fact thaat encourages other races to ccallously exploit the uncomplaining Galka. For the adve enturing Galka w who do not unde erstand the conccept of permaneent death, confli ct is rarely avoid ded and often pllunged into head‐firrst, and their sellf‐control after aa lifetime...or po otentially multiplle lifetimes....finnally gives way to o unmitigated, ragingly pow werful emotions. Language e Though theyy have a complex spoken tongue e, no written Galkan language eexists. When livinng among other races Galka rareely use their own to ongue; those wh ho speak it tend tto do so in a halting, awkward m manner. Jobs Galka are a bit of an oddity; These gentle giants are commo on as peaceful w warrior Jobs suchh as Samurai and d Monk as well aas casters of all types – especiaally White Mage es. 178 VIERA V The Viera arre an almost exclusively female race composed of slender fores t‐dwellers. Theyy exhibit animaliistic features succh as rabbit or feline characteristiics. In fact, the rrace is split evenly between two sub‐races, eachh exhibiting one set of these animal‐ like appearaances; the tempe erate forest‐dwe elling Viera sport a pair of rabbitt‐like ears sprouuting almost a fo oot from their heeads, where the ju ungle‐dwelling, A Amazonian Mith hra are possess ccat‐like ears, eyees, noses, and taails. Both sub‐races have bodies that are smooth‐‐skinned and humanoid in propo ortion. The Viera an nd Mithra are alsso distinguished d by their deeplyy skewed genderr ratio; out of evvery ten births, o only one on average will be male e. Centuries of evolution have le eft the females t oned and slendeer, physically superior to ttheir male countterparts in everyy respect. Face‐p paint and tattooos, marks of statuus and accomplishm ment in Viera tribes, are commo on among older ffemales. Even V Viera living in moore ‘civilized’ co ountries generally use these deco orative devices; old traditions d ie hard. Typical Heigght Typicall Weight 1.6 – 1.8m (excluding ears) 49 – 66 6kg (Male/Female) Hair Colors Lifespaan Universally ssilver or red. Young is 8‐17 years old d. Averagge is 18‐90 years old. Eye Colors Old is 9 91‐180 years old d. Silver, red, ggreen, blue Society Viera come together in small tribes dominated by a matriarrchal governmennt, usually in thee form of a tribal Chieftainnesss or village wise e‐woman. The trribe's day‐to‐dayy affairs, too, are entirely in the hands of its females. Thiss structure is a product of simplee necessity; due uable to expose to the dangers oof the world. to their scarrcity, a tribe’s maales are too valu Viera tend to be distrustful of advanced tecchnology, particu ularly anything tthat involves esources; to them, maintaining harmony with nnature is more the use of non‐renewable re important th han fleeting com mfort or convenience. In fact, the eir rigid laws de mand that natu re be treated wiith care and resspect, and outsid ders who cannott be trusted to aabide by these laaws are rarely w welcomed. Due to theirr physical beautyy, Viera have little trouble meltin ng into Hume soocieties – thoughh they rarely strike up relationships with other races. Many Viera b believe that oth er races are weaak, and by pany of such creeatures, they, tooo, will become establishing friendship or evven staying too llong in the comp inferior. Currious female Viera who leave the eir secluded hom melands are connsidered ‘troubleed’ by their Tribee (or Pride, in the case of the Mithrra) and leaving to learn of the ou utside world is o often a one‐way journey. Viera w who leave their homelands are rrarely permitted to o return, treated d as outcasts or even publicly de eclared forbiddeen to return. Male Viera generally must leave th heir native soil se ecretly, lest a group of irritated females set out to bring their w wayward man baack home. Roleplay ying Viera are naatural adventurers despite the sttigmata that com mes with leavingg their homelandds. They combin ne curiosity and eenergy with a wise, thoughtful natu ure that makes tthem amenable company on lonng journeys. Vierra love games an nd stories, have an affection forr dancing and th he theatre, and aa deep‐seated re espect for artisanns. Though theirr animalistic nature may lead so ome to believe that Viera hate wate er, they are exce ellent, nimble sw wimmers. Language e Due to the rrelative simplicity of Bhasa Mithra, most Viera te end to need a ruunning start wheen it comes to leearning Common n Tongue. Alm most all Viera stilll speak with a th hick accent even n after spending years away from m home. Jobs Viera Geomancers tend to b be the only oness that rise to possitions of power within their tribbes. Outcasts wh ho find themselvves forced to ad dapt to city life sometimes choosse to follow the career of a Thieef or Entertainer in order to get by, and male Vieera who have fle ed from their tribes often choosse a job that allo ows them to ‘bleend in’ with socieety. 179 LAL LAFELL L A diminutive e race of magicaally active beingss. The Lalafell are e characterized by babyish face s, large eyes, pronounced ears aand bear‐like feaatures. Their bod dily proportions are equivalent tto those of Hum me children, withh large heads ato op a short‐limbeed body, a com mbination that ap ppears utterly haarmless up until the point the fi reballs start flyinng. Some specullate the small creatures' m mastery of magicc is a kind of acquired survival trait; as most lackk the endurance and strength to be serious warriors, they have liittle else to prottect themselves from the dangers of tthe world. Typical Heigght Typicall Weight 0.8 – 1.0m (Male / Female) 34 – 38 8kg (Male) 32 – 36 6kg (Female) Hair Colors Brown, blon nd, red, grey, gre een Lifespaan Young is 2 ‐6 years old.. Eye Colors Averagge is 7 ‐ 20 years old. Brown, blue e Old is 2 21 ‐ 40 years old. Society The Lalafell live in a geniocracy, a society ru uled by scientistss, sages, thinkerss, and other experts on w worldly matters. In the eyes of the Lalafell, whatt one knows deffines everything – prestige, soccial standing, and privileges. Acccordingly, compe etition for wisdom is fierce and those iin positions of au uthority are ofte en usurped by younger, more knowledggeable individuals. This in turn creates enormous p pressure to pursu ue new ideas and innovations, setting up the inttellectual 'enginne' that allows LLalafell society to progress. While Lalafe ell scholars turn their attentions to many subjects, the study of magic is by far tthe most prestiggious; spellcasters are the geniocracy's first line of defense, reveered for their capabilities and respected fo or their intellecttual accomplishm ments. el mainly for soccial advancemen nt, lured by the p prospect of lost spells, rare Lalafell trave alchemical ingredients, or ancient relics of legendary power. expected, magic is an everyday ffact of Lalafell liffe; it powers me chanical As may be e constructs, e enhances crops, and even prote ects tools and clo othing from weaar and tear. Thouugh somewhat m menial compared to the glamourr of hurling offen nsive magicks in the name of the e Lalafell nation,, many able magges make profitaable careers out of these mundane applicationss. Only metalwo orking is generallly shunned; as a rule, Lalafell favvor organic mateerials such as wo ood and cloth, finding such resources far easier to alter with maagic than their inntractable metalllic counterpartss. Roleplay ying Though child dlike in body, Lalafell are highly intelligent beinggs, albeit ones ppossessed by an inexhaustible cu uriosity about an nything and everything in life. No se elf‐respecting Lalafell will miss th he chance to obttain new knowleedge – or show off the fruits of ttheir studies whenever opportunity allows. Though they make litttle distinction bbetween the trivvial and the life‐ssaving where information is concerned, th he little creature es' intellectual posturing does coome in handy. While not ass outright distrustful of advance ed technology ass the Viera, Lalaffell do tend to bee wary in the presence of non‐m magical machinery; tto them, grindin ng gears, steam, and clockwork aare ruthless, souul‐less things, laccking the innate warmth and vittality of a magic‐d driven device. Language e Many scholaars and collectorrs of ancient lore e have dabbled in Lajargon, des pite the convoluuted intricacies o of the language. The Lalafell them mselves use it alm most exclusivelyy, finding Common to be simply too lacking in deescription for th heir purposes. Jobs Magic is the e Lalafell way, an nd accordingly, they boast an impressive array oof most types of spellcasters – Time, Black, Whitte, and Red. Geomaancers are more rare, but still exxist among the fo orest‐dwelling foolk. 180 MO OOGLE E Moogles are e furry little semi‐magical creatu ures ‐ one‐part cat, one part beaar cub; a race forr which the word ds ‘disarmingly ccute’ are all but taailor‐made. Theyy sport tiny, bat‐‐like wings that allow them to p erpetually hoveer and fly for sho ort periods of time. Win ngs aside, the Moogles' most disstinguishing charracteristic is the curious buoyannt 'pom‐pom’ connected to the top of their heads by a sm mall, thin stalk, re eferred to by thee Moogles as a 'Deely‐Bopper.' Its hough some spe eculate that it maay have reproduuctive or telepatthic properties. true purpose is unknown, th hough variationss exist in the woorld; striped, broown and purple Moogle fur iis generally whitte and downy, th are among tthe most commo on, but many others have arisen n over the years.. Some Moogless also sport a thickk 'ruff' of fur around their neck; this feature tends to evolve in ccolder climates, and is usually accompanied by a correspondingly denser coat off fur. Typiccal Weight Typical Heigght Varies by species 18 – 30kg (Male / Female) Fur Colors Lifesp pan White, grey,, brown, purple Youn ng is 1 ‐10 years o old. Averaage is 11 ‐ 28 years old. Old iss 29 ‐ 35 years o old. Deely‐Bopper Colors Red, white, green, yellow, p purple Society Traditionallyy, Moogle tribes seclude themse elves in small villages hidden aw way in forests or caverns, sub bsisting on foragged nuts and roo ots, their location ns known only too those select outsiders wh ho have earned the tribe's trust. Such groups nu umber anywheree between ten and fifty; the e oldest Moogle e in the tribe usu ually acts as a no ominal leader, thhough group consensus gguides most decisions. This buco olic, carefree exisstence is balanceed by a love of travel and adventure. Once they come of agge, many Moogles leave the safeety of their villagges, on journeys thatt can easily span the breadth of tthe globe. Whatt happens next ddepends on the individual. Somee find embarking o the outside world too chaottic, too confusingg for their liking; disenchanted, they return to tthe stable familiaarity of their villages. Others are ccaptivated by the e sights and opp portunities of the eir wanderings, and settle downn in the company of other races. Moogles havve an innate gen nius for social ad daptability – no m matter how alie n the society theey find themselvves in, it is only aa matter of tim me before they learn its ins and outs, picking up p all the trappinggs of civilization along the way. Every Moogle iss given the rights to o pursue its own idea of happine ess, whether blisss is found in thee boughs of an aancient tree or th he guts of an airrship. In spite of th heir scattered naature, Moogles sstill manage to m maintain a close‐‐knit social netw work by regularlyy trading news aand gossip from city to city. Roleplay ying Though miscchievous, sassy, and occasionally sarcastic, Moo ogles are incapabble of genuine m malice or crueltyy – a rarity amon ng intelligent beings. Base emo otions such as haatred and violence are unheard of among the primitive Mogri ‐ however, they h have n to ‘get even’ w with anybody who tries to take advantage of theeir good nature. been known Language e Despite the fact that their native tongue of Mogri uses just a single word, M Moogles have a ssuperb aptitudee for languages. Most know the Co ommon Tongue,, though they haave a tendency to slip in the worrd ‘Kupo’ in at raandom intervals, a linguistic quirk that even experie enced speakers can't seem to sh hake. Jobs Entertainerss make up the VA AST majority of the fun‐loving M Moogle race, esppecially the sort that focuses on mystical dancess or juggling. The e charismatic Mo oogles make excceptional thieves and they boastt an aptitude for Geomancy, Reed, Black, and Blu ue magic. Quite e a few Moogle Engineers have been known to e exist as well. 181 AN NDROID D Androids and cyborgs are th he result of mad experimentatio on between mann and machine, aand are empty shells fueled by aa functional brain. Most have proportions sim milar to that of a normal Hume, tthough many spport obviously m mechanical appen ndages or features, such as conduitts and wires peeking through the eir ‘skin.’ Their cclothes are oftenn little more than rags, and theirr eyes cannot disgu uise their true natures; empty and often pupil‐le ess black pools, they offer no reflection, and belie e no spark of life e. Typiccal Weight Typical Heigght Varies. Usuaally 1.6 – 1.9m. Varie es. Generally 200 0kg+ Hair Colors Lifesp pan Any Unkn nown Eye Colors Black Society The origins o of Androids or ro obots, if they exxist, will likely vary wildly from caampaign to campaign n. Perhaps they aare the result off tinkering by scientists who didnn’t know when they tthe line had been n crossed, or perhaps they are aa natural producct of a highly techn nological world w where many peo ople have begun to rely more annd more on cybernettics. Perhaps the ey are the cadave ers of soldiers w who had fallen inn battle during some e great war, rean nimated, reinforrced and rebuilt.. Regardless o of their origins, tthe crude hybrid dization of man aand machine rarrely yields a happy, fulffilled individual. Many struggle w with feelings of anger or have d ifficulty finding a purpose. Some discover joy for briief periods, but h have to watch a s the ust and rob them m of their loved oones. passage of ttime erodes their homes into du Because of tthe diverse nature of the androids, one can never really be suree how they will fit into ssociety. Some fie ercely defend the poor and the ssick, while otherrs can be found actingg as hired muscle, cutting down their foes with e emotionless, robbotic efficiency. Some can be found working almo ost as slaves in m major metropoli tan areas, are able to h handle levels of heat, pressure, and severe workkloads that otheer races simply could dn’t deal with. The death of an A Android in an un nsafe work envir onment, as well, is a little‐mourned o occasion. Roleplay ying The drives and goals of an A Android are alwaays peculiar. Som me seek love, othhers, a place to call home. Somee seek to learn m more about their creation. Some have lost memo ories, and seek th heir own pasts. SSome adventuree simply for the thrills of doing sso, to monotony, no maatter how brieflyy. To love and inevitably lose oftten takes its toll on the remainin ng psyche of an be free of m Android. Maany become callo ous and hollow, and truly robotic. Still, some Anndroids possess a hope for the ffuture; they imagine a city built by their hand or a new age of tech hnology with the eir people at the helm. Language e Androids speak Common, but many pursue additional langu uages in attemppts to fit in with ppolite society no o matter where they go. The Binaary language (being little more th han a series of zeroes and ones)) may be spokenn by highly‐traineed linguists, but never as nearly as fluently as when utilized by an A Android. Jobs Androids maake the best Enggineers without question, and m many of their kindd pursues this joob choice. Having been n forever torn fro om the embrace e of the lifestreaam, Androids rarrely find themse lves able to utilize magic. Some Android Blue Mages have discovered that they can integratte bits and piecees of slain enemiies to use monstter abilities insteead of merely learn ning them. 182 BA ANGAA A A gruff, athletic lizard renow wned for its temperament. Banggaa are burly, muuscular creaturees caught in a peermanent stoop;; hard scales coverr their bodies, while their snoutss are jammed wiith razor‐sharp tteeth capable off rending and teaaring with terrib ble ease. Despitte their reptilian ancestry, Bangaaa tend to grow 'whiskers' or faccial hair as they age; females haave a prominent ruff of downy fur th hat covers their chests, a rare diifference between the two gendders. Bangaa are e excellent scoutss and trackers, faavoring smell and hearing over ssight. As a resultt, it is not uncom mmon to see Ban ngaa wearing blin ndfolds as a fashion statement. TTheir long, loose e‐hanging ears aare split in two, ggiving them superiior directional he earing; the tips aare often pierced or encased in metal. Facial annd body tattoos are another co ommon decoratiive device, particcularly among yoounger Bangaa; they often d denote rank or accomplishment.. Bangaa are usually all but fe earless, sufferingg extreme injurie es without shirk ing back or retreating. TThey might lose a body part or tw wo, but eyes are en’t really that essential anywayy, their tails grow w back, and Bangaa chicks dig scars. Typical Weigght Typical Heigght 1.6 – 1.9m 90 – 120kg Skin Colors Lifespan Black, ochre e, brown, green, Young is 10 ‐20 years old. blue, white Average is 21 1 ‐ 70 years old. Old is 71 – 80 0+ years old. Eye Colors Black, Blue, Red Society Since ancien nt times, Bangaaa have used a riggid caste system. Once born intoo a profession orr role in Bangaa society, it is neaarly impossible tto change one’s lot in life. In recent years the yo ounger memberss of this race havve begun to shun this traditionaal hierarchy, ch hoosing to instead become merrcenaries and waarriors who fightt fiercely to makke their own wayy. Thanks to their strength and d tough‐as‐leath her constitution, Bangaa choosin ng to live in hum man circles can easily find emplo oyment as soldiers, guards, glad diators, and – in the case of the m more dim‐witted d specimens – bbrute physical labbor. Roleplay ying Bangaa tend d to be arrogant and boastful cre eatures, acting aas if in the throees of a permanennt ill temper. Though sometimes characterize ed as slow‐witted d or primitive, th heir intelligence is on par with t hat of humans. Furthermore, th hey can be extreemely spiritual creatures, with a piious edge that m may surprise those who think of them as barely‐‐restrained berserkers. Unsurprisinggly, ‘lizard’ is the e most insulting thing one could call a Bangaa – on par with callling a human 'monkey,' though o only the fiercest of men could match the violencce of a Bangaa's reaction in this regard. mes are always co omposed of two o syllables, and ttend to have a sllightly harsh souund to them. Sam mple monikers in nclude Bangaa nam Rinok, Batah hn, Eleono, Mou uni, and Burrogh. In some cases, a two‐letter ho norific may be aadded before thee name, separatted by an apostrop phe; examples off this include Ba''Gamnan and Vaa'Kansa. The lettter 's' is almost nnever used in Baangaa naming. Language e Bangaa in hu uman societies q quickly pick up their hosts' mann nerisms and gesstures, resulting in body languagge that occasionally borders on tthe comical. Due e to their vocal sstructure, Bangaaa tend to speak k Common Tonguue in a slurring o or guttural fashio on. Jobs Most Bangaa find their way as Warriors, putting their naturral skill in battle to good use. Otther have discovvered that they h have more in com mmon with fearssome dragons off yore than just aa scaly hide; botth species share a fondness for cconfrontation ass well as a more co ontemplative, in ntroversive side. Bangaa Dragoons are thus far ffrom uncommonn. Still others h have brought a fform of their trib bal shamanism to an adventurinng party, calling tthemselves ‘bish hops’ and using White or Red magic. 183 NU U MOU U Bound by ph hysical limitation ns, the elusive Nu Mou are a socciety of first‐ratee sages and inte llectuals, channeeling the energyy other races put intto honing their b bodies into sharpening their min nds. Like the Vieera, the Nu Mou are composed o of two entirely separate spe ecies. The most commonly‐enco ountered Nu Mo ou are gray‐or brrown‐skinned, with long, floppy ears, eleph hant‐like hides aand sunken nostrils on either sidde of the face. h brown, button‐like noses, earss like Others are ssmaller and lightter‐skinned, with a beagle's, aand prominent faacial hair. Typical Heigght Typical Weigght 0.8 – 1.1m 80 – 100kg Hair Colors Lifespan White, blond de Young is 8 ‐35 years old. 6 ‐ 150 years old d. Average is 36 Eye Colors Old is 151 – 4 400+ years old. Brown Society Nu Mou civilization is based d upon the found dations of educaation. Young members off the race leave ttheir families at an early age and d find an older, more experiienced mentor, ttraining under h his tutelage until they are themsselves capable of e educating otherss. These mentorss do not necessaarily have to be N Nu Mou themseelves; almost anyy being of excep ptional wisdom and d learning can ste ep into this role,, provided they aare willing to addopt the studentt as one of their own. The relatio onship between insstructor and pup pil is expected to o be a familial on ne – the studentt is given a new nname and cared d for as kin, whilee the teacher is acccorded the resp pect and obedience due to any p parent. It is not uncommon for oolder Nu Mou to o practice a craftt or trade alongsside their intellectual pursuits, m making a living w with alchemy, thee appraising of aancient relics, orr crafting enchan nted items. Others may become magical mercenaries, hiring their services out too adventurers eager for added ssorcerous punch h on e careful to keep p this kind of freeelancing within ethical boundarries – profit is their expeditions. However,, the Nu Mou are ultimately a secondary conssideration. Not every Nu Mou is sedenttary; many adultts embarking on grand odysseyss across the world in search of knowledge and ome choose the nomadic lifestyle for other reassons ‐ just as a roolling stone gathhers no moss, a roaming Nu Mo ou guidance. So rarely has to o worry about w well‐meaning app prentices begging to learn the inns and outs of saagehood. Roleplay ying The Nu Mou u are gentle, alm most dispassionate creatures. If p pressed to defennd themselves, tthey prefer magic or diplomacy,, particularly through intellecctual bribery. The eir enormous wealth of knowleddge gives them significant leverrage with other rraces, As they grow old er, Nu Mou are likely to becomee more concerneed and they do not shy away frrom using it if the need arises. A with the 'bigg picture.' Their longevity allowss them to bear fiirst‐hand witnesss to how one seeemingly innocuous event can affect the course o of history, establlish a great natio on or bring ruin tto an entire peooples. For this reeason, they may take on the mantle of history's she epherds, safeguaarding ancient artifacts, observing obscure rituaals, and intervenning – albeit disccreetly – in the n natural flow of even nts to ensure thaat dark powers aare not allowed tto gain sway. Beecause of this, thheir actions and motives often sseem inscrutable tto other races th hat lack the Nu M Mou's long‐term m vision. Language e Nu Mou beaar no language o of their own, insttead having a naatural fluency fo r linguistics thatt allows them to o quickly pick up the accents and dialects of the w world. Jobs Unsurprisinggly, Nu Mou find d themselves as spellcasting jobss almost exclusivvely, with Time Mage being the most prominen nt. Despite theiir natural penchaant for White, Black, and Time m magic however, most members of this obscure race find Blue M Magic to be an utte er abomination. 184 FINA AL FANT F TASY YI "WA ARRIORS! Rev vive the power o of the ORBS!" The first off the game seriies takes place in a world where the eleme ntal forces of eearth, fire, watter and wind are governed b by four magical orbs. Over the past four hundred years thhey have grown dark, turningg the world into a nightmarish place where nothing can grow, wildfires tear across thee land, and thee wind is still. Just when the e, the sage Lukaahn speaks of aa prophecy thaat four Light W Warriors will come to save thee people havve lost all hope world in this time of darkkness. Events are set into motio on with the app pearance of the four Light W arriors, who eaach carry one o of the darkeneed Orbs. In the e original game e, their journeys took them ffrom the Kingddom of Dreamss, Cornelia, to tthe ruined Tem mple of Fiends and beyond. Th hey battled piraates, sailed the e Aldean Sea, rretrieved a stolen crystal eyee for a blind wittch, deep beneath the desert, prooved their courage to the Dragon King, and d raised an airship from its resting place d restored th he four orbs. At the end of th he story they discovered thatt a long‐forgottten foe, the kn night Garland, h has ascended tto a state of go odhood via the use of a time paradox, becooming the entitty known as Ch haos. In a last, final act of hero oism, the heroe es travel two th housand years into the past tto end the parradox, creatingg a future wherre their heroism is unneede ed and unknow wn. WhatissChaos? Most everyything that takes place in thiss original Final Fantasy is the direct result o of the entity kn nown as Chaos, and its creation n of a time paraadox to ensure e that it could n never be perm manently defeated. Thousands of years ago, aan empire wagged war on the e scientific utoppia of Lufenia. In desperation n and fear, theey used the po owers of The V Void and the Fo our Crystals to create a child to be their ulttimate weapon n. The child waas named Garrland, and did indeed end the e war with barrely‐ understood d powers of disscord. Howeve er, Garland wass betrayed b by the civilizatio on he had been n birthed to protect, an nd in his anguissh and rage, un nconsciously created a rrift in the fabricc of the universe which pulle ed him througgh. He wanderred the Interdimensional Riftt for years and his mind becam me twisted witth bitterness, m madness and h hate. It is said that he met the archdragon Sh hinryu in his oldier wanderings, who took intterest in the haapless superso d him power and escape from m the void. In and offered desperation, Garland agrreed and inadvvertently begun n the eave the world d in ruin. cycle of eviil that would le Garland waas ejected from m the Interdimensional Rift and found himsself in a city kn nown as Cornellia. Without knowing w what else to do,, he began servving as a knight within the royal army. Th his would not laast, however – – his been twisted frrom the infusio ons and years o of mind had b drifting in tthe Void, and h he kidnapped tthe princess an nd 185 fled to the ruined castle north of the city – the Temple of Chaos. Garland is stopped and nearly killed in the Temple of Chaos, but the Four Fiends intercede on his behalf. By focusing their energies on a single focal point, they manage to create a hole in time and pull Garland back in time by two thousand years. This is where the paradox begins. As Garland is pulled backwards in time, his hatred merges with the power of the four crystals as well as Shinryu’s malicious energies. He himself is transformed into a new entity altogether, and creates four servants to do his bidding ‐ the Four Fiends. Garland realizes that his life could not be saved by the Fiends unless he himself commanded them to do so; and to this end, sends his newly‐created elemental minions into the future. They, in turn, funnel elemental forces to him and allow him to transmute into something far more powerful ‐ Chaos. Thus, the loop effectively sustains itself with Garland dying in the present, but being reborn in the past, repeating over and over and over again. He is a splinter of Chaos, capable of growing back into the whole if the need should arise. Defeating Chaos in the past prevents him from sending the Fiends to the future. Without the fiends in the future, Garland can't be sent back to the past. This breaks the time loop, and the paradox, unable to sustain itself, reverts time back to its original state. JobsandRaces In the original game, only six of the nineteen standard jobs made an appearance; Warrior, Monk, Thief, Black Mage, White Mage, and Red Mage. Players who wish to stay ‘true’ to the original could consider choosing from only this restrictive list. Numerous different races appear in the first game, including humans, elves, dwarves, mermaids, dragons, and robots. Though humans populate most of the world, each of the other races has their own town or city where they live peacefully. AdventureIdeas A piece of ancient Lefenish technology is discovered – a working robot. It immediately begins tilling the soil, purifying the water, and cleaning the planet. The citizens of all the nearby towns are ecstatic…so why do the heroes have such a bad feeling about this seemingly‐innocent device? A young boy from the port town of Onrac has gone missing, and a witness says mermaids pulled him underwater. The playful denizens of the underwater shrine nearby would never willingly kidnap someone, would they? Enterprising explorers have stumbled onto an island that seems almost like a paradise amidst the rest of the world’s problems; fresh water and rich soil abound, and colonists start flocking to the tropical paradise in droves. But when the island inhabitants discover that they’re not alone on the island the PCs are called in to help. The Mirage Tower, an ancient structure that lies hidden somewhere in the great desert, was made magically invisible thousands of years ago. Now that the enchantment is wearing off, the tower has a distorted, indistinct look. But the enchantment going haywire isn’t something to be ignored; a nearby town is slowly being turned invisible, and unseen monsters stalk to desert and surrounding plains. How long before the entire world is lost in the mirage? 186 FINA AL FA ANT TASY Y II “When the e battle is overr, I want to fill th he world with wild w roses. A wo orld where we can overcome what we have e lost, where even th he rain and the e wind can provvide us with strrength...” - Firion The second d story in the series revolves around the evvil empire of Paalamecia and itts slow takeover of the know wn world. Spearheading the war is The Emperor, a ruthle ess and charism matic leader with superior teechnology and magic osal, not to me ention an armyy of monsters that he has sum mmoned forth from Hell to aid him. The priincess at his dispo of the Fynn n nation, Hilda,, has establishe ed a rebel forcce and formed a resistance m movement. Thee heroes will likkely be members of the resisttance, undertaking a variety o of missions agaainst Palameciia to defeat thee Emperor. In the original games, the e heroes found d themselves taaking out the i mperial airship p known as thee Dreadnoughtt by hurling a le egendary flame e into its engine, befriending kings and arm mies of Dragoon ns, battling behemoths in a coliseum, aand unlocking powerful magiic spells. At the e climax of the game The Emperor creates a powerful cycclone that destro oys a handful o of cities and thrreatens to tearr the world asuunder before raaising his new,, unassailable citadel from m the depths o of Hell; Castle P Pandemonium. Whois‘T TheEmperror?’ Emperor M Mateus is a rath her enigmatic ffigure. So the legend goes, thhe once‐charm ming Emperor of Palamecia cchallenged the world, promissing his beautiful daughter’s h hand in marriage to any man who could er from the top p floor of his caastle. Many attempted but feell to retrieve he the beasts that Mateus h had added as obstacles, until one man usedd a nge. The Emperor was furiou s hot air balloon to overcome the challen em both. He and embarrrassed by this and in a fit of rage, killed the became reclusive and dangerous, spend ding his days studying how too he dead and re etrieve a soul from the bowels of Hell with summon th magic. At first the Emperror’s mages believed Mateus only wanted tto save the so oul of his daugh hter, but as the e years passed d the experimeents and rituals became more e and more dan ngerous. oint, Emperor M Mateus went ttoo far – his soul was sold to a At some po being of he ell or simply torn asunder – n nobody knows. He declared w war on the worrld, beginning h his mad and arrrogant conque est of mankindd. Upon his in nevitable death h, he will assum me the mantle of Emperor off Hell and will retturn more pow werful than beffore. Jobsand dRaces Players batttling the empiire of Palameciia should be ab ble to choose aany job they likke; and unlike tthe first game,, FFII is predominantly a human population w with little to no o mention of o ther species. Adventu ureIdeas Minwu wass a powerful an nd courageouss white wizard known for creeating more thaan a handful of powerful item ms. Most noticceably of these is the Orb of M Minwu, which is said to housse a fragment o of his soul. Witth the world distrustful of such magic due to The Em mperor, what w will become of tthis artifact? 187 FINA F AL FA ANT TASY Y III “You’re going g off to sav ve the world? What, W did you ge et hit on the he ead or somethin ing?” Many years ago, on the FFloating Contin nent hovering h high above thee surface of an unnamed plan net, the d civilization off the Lufenians once again soought to harnesss the power o of the four technologically advanced hey failed to co ontrol these fouur fundamentaal sources of w worldly energy. The elemental crystals of light. However, th power of Light would havve consumed the world had tthe crystals noot been opposeed by their natural counterpaarts: dden interrupttion of the careeful balance off the elements,, four the four daark elemental ccrystals. Disturrbed by the sud warriors were granted th he power of the e dark crystals in order to re‐‐contain the po ower of the ligght crystals. Theese Dark Warriors ssucceeded in th heir quest, and d restored harm mony to the world. But their victory came ttoo so‐called D late to save e the doomed civilization thaat had foolishlyy tried to harneess the power of the crystalss to begin with. Their once‐proud d culture was rreduced to ruin n, though theirr floating contiinent remained d, a reminder o of what had co ome before. And on that very continent, the e circle of Gulgans, a race of bblind soothsayyers and fortun ne‐tellers, pred dicted that eventu ually things wo ould come full circle. Just as tthe power of li ght can be abu used, so too caan the power o of darkness. A And when thatt occurred, the crystals of the e light would caall forth their o own champion ns to restore baalance to the world. of Final Fantasyy II opens with an The story o earthquake e near the villaage of Ur on the floating continent. The ru umbling opens a hidden cavve wherein the first crystal off light reside es. When the h heroes discoverr this strange cryystal, they rece eive a portion o of its power and very specific instructions fro om a ed voice; go fo orth, restore th he disembodie other crysttals and bring e equilibrium bacck to the world. Not knowing w what to make o of ments, but the crystal''s pronouncem nonethelesss recognizing tthe importance of its words, tthe four heroes tentatively se et out. ourse of the gaame the heroes assist a clan o of nomadic vikkings with their angry water d deity, restore tthe Over the co Elder Tree from the Livingg Woods, drinkk with dwarvess, deal with gruumpy Moogle bodyguards an nd a mad king, and ent to explore the world belo ow – discoverinng their tiny ho ome pales in co omparison to tthe leave the floating contine d by the eleme ntal forces of tthe Dark Crystaals. size of the rest of the planet, which hass been ravaged of the game is tthe misguided wizard Xande,, who has the rrather lofty goal of stopping time The primarry antagonist o to escape h his own mortality. He has sett up his operations in the Cryystal Tower, an nd is the force aattempting to drain the crystalss of power for his own uses, though it is latter revealed thhat he was insp pired and guideed by an even more malicious e entity from beyyond The Void… 188 Jobsand dRaces Final Fantaasy III was the ffirst in the serie es to feature the full scope oof the Job systeem, as well as ffeatures that w would later becom me a staple of the games succh as summone ed creatures annd special abiliities for each Job. Time Magees and Geomancers especially w will find themse elves right at home in this cam mpaign world.. Humans, M Moogles, Dwarvves all make ap ppearances, ass well as a cyclooptic blind race known as thee Gulgans. Nattural prophets and clairvoyantts, the Gulganss are believed tto be distant d escendants of the Lufenians. Optiona alRule:Wan nderingTo own Final Fantaasy games enco ourage the playyers to chat up p random stranngers, saunter into buildings,, and poke their noses into vases, woodpiiles, and anything else that m might hide valuuables. If you w want to simulatte this, give plaayers w hours, then ggive them a ru undown of the rumors, storiees, and the option of simply wandering around town for a few At otherwise inconsequential information (“Aurora Castle has many guuards!”) they'vve picked up along the way. A etion, you can aalso have wand dering players roll their Inqu iry, Mercantilee or Awarenesss skill with an your discre appropriate difficulty – iff successful, the player's charracter has founnd important in nformation, a ggreat barter on n or a recovery Item hidden som mewhere in th e town. Apart from being geenre‐appropriate, equipmentt, or a few gil o this also allows GMs to boost recovery item stockpiles if the adventture ahead is p particularly tou ugh or demand ding. Adventu ureIdeas A band of tthieves have broken into the Temple of Tim me and stolen N Noah's Lute, an n artifact capable of waking Unie, the guardiaan of the Dream m Realm, from m her eternal slumber. What are they plann ning and how ccan the heroes stop them? The forbidd den land of Eureka was once a prosperous ancient kingdoom destroyed in some great disaster. Now it is little more than a necrop polis, populated d by restless sp pirits unable too depart their fformer home. What great secrets and treasures await anyo one courageous enough to exxplore this danngerous place?? When the V Vikings of Myraluka Cove find themselves tthe target of a mass Transforrm spell, their short fuses gett even shorter. Kn nowing that the e only thing wo orse than an angry Viking is aa knee‐high an nd furry Viking,, the heroes neeed to find the maage responsible, and FAST, before the pintssized pillagers start tearing aand clawing theeir way through every magiical town and aacademy alongg the coast. 189 FINAL FANTASY IV "Some fight for law...some fight for justice. What do you fight for?" - KluYa The fourth installment of the Final Fantasy series sees the world slowly become more technologically‐advanced, a trend that would continue for many more games in the series. The story opens with the most powerful nation in the world, the Kingdom of Baron, utilizing its unparalleled air force and its legions of Dark Knights to attack peaceful nations in search of four Crystals, each corresponding to a different classical element. The story follows the leader of the air force who begins to question the king's motives. It is a story of betrayal and repentance, where the ex‐general is forced to uncover the King of Baron’s secret and must race to collect the crystals before they fall into the hands of a half‐Lunerian sorcerer and an entity named Zemus. Zemus plans to annihilate all life on the planet with a giant walking machine known as the Giant of Babil, thus allowing the Lunerian race to populate the world instead. The party battles the four elemental archfiends, descends deep into the underworld and the land of dwarves, and finally teleport to the moon’s core in their pursuit of Zemus. TheKingdomofBaron The kingdom of Baron is by far the largest and most powerful of the kingdoms. Long ruled by wise, powerful monarchs in succession, Baron is also perhaps the most prosperous of the kingdoms of the Earth. Two major technological breakthroughs escalated Baron's rise to prominence around the middle of the tenth century. First, a mysterious portal between Baron and the mystical town of Mysidia was created, known as the Serpent Road. For the first time, mages were welcomed into the kingdom, and eventually would even be given limited roles within Baron's military. Second, a brilliant young engineer unveiled an amazing new device known as the steam engine, which used boiled water to generate power. This technology allowed Baron to increase the speed of their naval vessels, giving them a significant edge in trade and a clear naval superiority. Over the next eight years, this same engineer enhanced this discovery further, using these steam engines to give Baron's navy the power of flight through a concept similar to a gyroplane. The King was awestruck at the potential of such airships, and ordered most of the kingdom's navy retrofitted immediately. The result was a fleet of flying galleons that would be dubbed the Red Wings, and prove themselves to be the single most powerful military force on the planet. Recently, dark rumors have begun surfacing within the town. The guard has been noticeably increased around the castle perimeter, and the King is often closeted with his most trusted advisors. Over the last few months, many have remarked that the King seems a changed man. Although renowned for his kindness, generosity, and honor as a knight, it is whispered that the King is preparing for war. The airship hangars resound day and night with the sounds of construction, and all the smiths in town have been closed to all non‐military personnel. For the first time in its history, there is growing dissent against Baron's powerful monarchy... JobsandRaces Most of the standard jobs appear in Final Fantasy V, and it remains one of the most traditional settings. In addition to the standard humans and dwarves, the Lunerian race is heavily involved in the story of Final Fantasy V. They are an extra‐terrestrial species that looks indistinguishable from humans. Their planet was destroyed, so 190 they took refuge on Earth. There, they taught the secrets of magic and basic technology to the still‐evolving humans, before realizing that the still under‐developed planet was not ready for them. Many went to sleep deep in the moon’s core, though some still wander the planet, agelessly observing all things. OptionalRule:Nationalities GMs looking for added flavor and realism could consider restricting their players to only Hume characters and using this optional ‘Nationalities’ rule set. This allows Hume characters to alter their stat lines based upon their home region, getting automatic bonuses and penalties to their attributes that allow them to start with scores higher than 10, though a character may still not begin play with a score of 0 or less in any attribute. The regions and the associated bonuses are listed below. Baron: +1 PWR, ‐1 DEX Damcyan: +1 DEX and MND, ‐1 PWR and RES Fabul: +2 PWR or RES, ‐2 MND Mysidia: +2 INT, ‐1 PWR and DEX Toroia: +2 DEX, ‐1 VIT and MND Eblana: +1 DEX and PWR, ‐1 RES and MND OptionalRule:FallenPaladinsandRedeemedDarkKnights Paladins and Dark Knights are the champions of the forces of Holy and Shadow; those who stray too far from their path may, at the GM’s discretion, find themselves losing their abilities but able to ‘switch sides’. A Dark Knight who has lost sight of his own, selfish goals and instead pursues a life of altruism may be granted a free Job Change by the GM. But there’s a catch – instead of spending Destiny, the character must actually exchange their Dark Knight abilities and spells for Paladin abilities and white magic at a one‐for‐one ratio. Similarly, a Paladin who loses their way may be forced to adopt the mantle of Dark Knight. As before, they trade their abilities in and gain access to Black Magic instead of White. GM’s may allow the characters to alter Limit Breaks at this time as well to make for a more thorough and aesthetic change. AdventureIdeas The only known cure for Desert Fever is a Sand Pearl, which is produced by the world’s only known Antlion. A scheming merchant realizes that by capturing the Antlion and keeping it in captivity, he’ll be able to make a fortune exploiting those in desperate need of a cure. The Devil’s Road is a psuedo‐mystical passage between Mysidia and Baron. The road is said to exact an extreme toll on those who use its portals for travel, but the precise nature of the ‘toll’ is unknown. Months after taking the Devil’s Road, the PCs begin hearing stories about a band of adventurers matching their exact description, attacking the innocent and leaving destruction in their wake… 191 FINA AL FA ANT TASY YV "The world w still needs s you! Warriors of the Crystal… …" - King Tycoon ors of Dawn ussing In ages long past, an anciient evil warlocck known as Exxdeath was seaaled away by the four Warrio ntal crystals. In n this day and aage, however, the crystal seaal is treated ass a children’s faantasy the powerss of the elemen or even forrgotten. Unforttunately, each crystal is being used to imprrove people's living, effectiveely draining theem of their powe er and causing tthem to shatte er. The game iis centered on a group of straangers brought together by ccircumstance tto save the Cryystals that havee mysterioussly begun shatttering one by o one. Eventuallyy it is revealed that the villain n Exdeath is beehind this, as p part of a plan to both release him mself from his imprisonmentt, and to gain t he power of th he Void, a realm m of nothingneess olute power on n one able to re esist being abssorbed by it. which could bestow abso e best attemptts by the heroe es to prevent th his inevitable ddestruction, all four of the elemental crystaals Despite the shatter and d Exdeath is released. He retaakes his seat o of power and bbegins to open an Interdimen nsional rift, infu using himself witth the limitlesss but unstable power of The V Void. Jobsand dRaces Final Fantaasy V is an exclu usively human‐populated wo orld, save for thhe strange talkking turtle thatt is Sage Ghido o. Being the ffirst game in th he series to excclusively promo ote the job‐chaange system, G GMs who wish to get particularly fancy migh ht restrict certaain Jobs until affter the playerrs obtain shardds of a shattereed crystal. For TTRUE nostalgiccs, the following ccrystals could b be ‘tied to’ the following Jobss: Wind: Warrrior, Dragoon, Thief, Black M Mage, White Mage, Blue Magge Water: Mo onk, Time Mage e, Entertainer, Paladin Fire: Ninja,, Red Mage, Gaambler, Dark K Knight Earth: Rangger, Samurai, EEngineer, Geom mancer Adventu ureIdeas An endangered Wyvern h has been seen encircling the ruined city of Gohn. Whaat is it looking ffor in the rubble? The Libraryy of the Ancien nts is a fascinatting place, hom me to all the w world’s knowled dge. But the dusty volumes h here are not onlly a draw for in ntellectuals, bu ut also to manyy monsters ccapable of rudimentary spellccasting. When a curious gob blin makes off with a powerfful, forbidden tome, scho olars scramble to track it dow wn – and not all of them have altruistic reasons for doing sso! It’s a madhouse of mayhem ass the magical m masses struggle e against one e another for ttheir chance att powerful blacck magic…and d all they need to do is fry a ffew goblins! 192 FINA F AL FA ANT TASY Y VI "Y You think a minor thing like the e end of the wo orld was gonna a do me in?" -S Sabin Rene Fig garo One thousaand years ago precisely, the tthree gods kno own as the Waarring Triad batttled for domin nance over thee world. The gods created ttheir armies byy transformingg humans and aanimals into Su ummons ‐ Espeers ‐ and grantting nse magical pow wer. The world d was brought to the precipicce of destruction by this Warr of the Magi, b but them inten the Gods re ealized their sttruggle was foo olish and turne ed themselves to stone. With h their last act,, they fashioneed a new dimen nsion for the no ow‐purposelesss Espers to live e peacefully aw way from hum mans to preventt their powers from ever being abused. In the present, the world has experiencced a technological revolutio n and magic has faded into legend. To the mpire ‐ lead by Emperor Gestaahl ‐ has inadveertently discovvered the entraance to the Esp south, the Gestahlian Em per eatures. Using vvile machineryy, the Empire d discovered a method to drain n the world and kidnapped sevveral of the cre nergy and imbue humans and machines wiith this power instead, resultting in the Espers of their magical en non known as M Magitek. Usingg Magitek to ovverpower the aarmies of other nations, the G Gestahlian Empire phenomen conquered the southern continent and began to push h into the nort h with the ultimate aim of w world conquest. Their of Espers, dem migods thoughtt to be a thing of myth – is nigh‐ army – fueled by the souls and raw maggical energies o unstoppable. But Gestah hl’s goals of wo orld domination n pale in comp parison to the ttrue danger – tthe frighteningg ambition of h his right‐hand man, the mad d mage Kefka. W Will a rebel facction known ass The Returners be able to make a stand in time, nderstand? fighting agaainst what they can barely un Jobsand dRaces Most of the e standard Job bs make an app pearance in this setting, and players should dn’t feel restriccted. From flamboyant, kingly engine eers who build d submerging ccastles to besti al ‘wild child’ B Blue Mages, Final Fantasy VI is acter concept yyou’ve always w wanted to try tto make an app pearance. great pace for that chara Humans po opulate most o of the world of Final Fantasy V VI, but we alsoo see a commu unity of Mooglees, half‐wolf pickpocketts, dozens of taalkative ghosts and one very disgruntled Yeeti. Magitek k Magitek, co ommonly abbrreviated M‐Tekk, refers to the fusion of maggic and machinery. Perhaps m most well‐know wn is the M‐Tek engine, an ingenious nuclearr core which po owers a line off hulking war m machines. The global energy of nt as atomic poower within th he M‐Tek engin ne. creation in converted into a pure fuel source as poten 193 The most ccommon of Maagitek devices aare the imperiaal walkers utiliized by Gestah hl’s empire, mo obile weapons piloted by a single individ dual. They com me equipped with a basic radiio receiver that allows the pilots to other and their squadron leaader, a small em mergency first aid kit, and an n M‐Tek enginee that communicaate with each o is more thaan capable of le eveling a small town. Adventu ureIdeas When the p party’s lost airship gets hijacked by an afflu uent swindler i n Jidoor and p put up for sale in the auction house, the group needs tto find a way to o steal it back o or raise a few million gil in a hurry. Magicite is an Esper’s sou ul, without a bo ody or form. R Raw energy thaat can fuse with h a human spirrit or fuel a machine. B But is it possible to create a n new body for an Esper to inhaabit, reformingg a deceased Esper from thatt spark of life e? When someone close to tthe party perisshes at the han nds of evil, theyy hear about the legend of the Doom Train n ‐ an Esper, or perhaps simply a spectral man nifestation that carries the soouls of the decceased to theirr final resting p place. But when aa well‐intentioned ‘rescue’ m mission ends up p damaging thee Train, the spiirits of the deaad begin to wallk the world once e more. Can the PCs find a waay to undo the e damage they’’ve caused? 194 FINAL FANTASY VII "I know you got problems... hell, we all do. But you gotta understand that there ain't no gettin' offa this train we're on, till we get to the end of the line." - Barret Wallace The world of Final Fantasy VII is a truly modern setting; cars, television, firearms, cellphones and space travel are commonplace. The planet is named ‘Gaia’, and it is economically, militarily, and politically dominated by a powerful conglomerate called the Shinra Electric Power Company, which profits from the use of machines known as Mako Reactors. The reactors siphon life‐energy ‐ called "Mako" ‐ out of the Planet and convert it into a simple fossil fuel. Although most civilians are unaware of this fact, Mako energy is drawn from the Lifestream, a flow of life‐force from which originates all living things. The Lifestream is the sum of all the life that has ever and will ever walk upon the planet. The process of extracting Mako energy literally drains the life of the Planet in order to generate electricity – areas where multiple reactors exist are perpetually dark, barren places. Rufus Shinra leads his eponymous organization and is thus the world's de facto ‘ruler’. Though aware of the harmful effects, Shinra Corp functions without remorse, even branching into genetic experiments that have created many of the monsters that roam Gaia’s surface. Shinra's management is concerned with the limited repositories of Mako energy available for harvesting, and fascinated with the legend of the Promised Land; a place where the land is fertile and where Mako flows abundantly. Only a race called the Cetra, or the Ancients, are, according to legend, able to find it. However, the Cetra were all but driven to extinction by the "Calamity From the Skies", an alien creature called Jenova. Small rebels groups try to quell the various dangers toward the innocent, but the real battle will ultimately not be with a corporation. JobsandRaces The world of Gaia is dominated almost exclusively by humans other than a few rare members of several nearly‐ extinct species, most of which are nameless. Most Jobs do just fine in the world of Final Fantasy VII, though Geomancers might find things to be a little more adversarial than they’re used to. AdventureIdeas ‘The Turks’ is the unofficial nickname for the ‘Investigation Sector’ of the Shinra Company. They act as the company’s muscle and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty with kidnappings, assassinations, or worse. When the classily‐dressed Turks show up and start attempting to forcefully ‘recruit’ the PCs into their line of work, the heroes will have their hands full with these dangerous professionals who don’t take no for an answer. A small community has passed a law stating that all persons infused with Mako by Shinra are to be immediately taken in to one of their facilities designed to purge the Mako ‘impurity’ from them. Quite a few SOLDIERs aren’t too keen on the idea of losing their Mako‐enhanced talents. Not to mention the rumors about what really happens in the Mako Severing chambers. 195 Optiona alRule:MatteriaSystem m In some plaaces, the spiritt energy of the world is naturrally strong andd Materia can be found in itss natural form. More often, how wever, Materia is created is th hrough the use e of Mako Reacctors. Either way, Materia ap ppears as a sph here of light that can be merged with a weapon n or suit of arm mor or, far morre commonly, human flesh. It isn’t unusual to ng circles of light shining thro ough the skin oof his forearm, nor it is unusu ual for shopkeeepers see a warriior with glowin who run M Materia stores tto demonstrate e how they can n be stored likee this by forcib bly and casuallyy pushing one of the spheres through an appe endage. You may eq quip any one M Materia at a tim me, and it doessn’t take up anny of the normaal equipment ‘‘slots’ such as Accessory. Having Materia equipped paassively grants you two thinggs; a small bonu us to your attrributes (if appliicable) ell, job ability, EEsper, or otherr bonus effect.. Materia can b be removed an nd as well as aaccess to the siingle listed spe sold, and can even be forrcibly unequipp ped with a Disaarm action or ccertain job abilities if the GM M rules it to be appropriate. d also providess the user with an MP score iff they didn’t allready have on ne. Characters Having Materia equipped heir MP score tthe same way everyone else does, minus aany bonus MP ggranted by theeir Job; (MND xx calculate th Level). Upon defeaating a Boss with a piece of M Materia equipp ped, the Materria actually gro ows in strength h. You permaneently gain accesss to the spell th hat the Materia teaches, and d may then incrrease the Mateeria’s level by o one if possiblee and gain the ne ew effects. For example, a waarrior with a Cu ure Materia eqquipped has acccess to the Cu ure spell and gaains a +1 bonus to MND. If he u unequips this he loses both benefits. After ddefeating a boss he has access to Cure, Curra, +2 MND instead…if he was to o remove this M Materia, he’d sstill have accesss to the Cure sspell but gain n no and gains + other bene efits. If the Mate eria can’t level up any furtherr (for example,, if it is alreadyy a Level 3 piecce of Materia, o or if it doesn’t have any levels h higher than 1) the Materia in nstead creates a brand new LLevel 1 Materiaa of the same ttype. For exam mple, defeating aa boss with a Shiva Materia e equipped would cause the iteem to split, giving the party two Shiva Mateeria orbs insteaad of one. A semicom mplete list of Materia can be ffound on the fo ollowing page.. Optiona alRule:New wEquipmentProperty y The following weapon/arrmor property might show up p in games wh ere Materia pllays a large role, allowing characters who don’t norrmally utilize m magic to get the e most out of m multiple materrial. Materia a Socket: Tiier 3 Weapon, Armor, Accesssory The equipm ment was craftted with SOLDIERs in mind, and has been o utfitted with aa spherical slot designed to fit most stand dard types of M Materia. One ad dditional Mate eria orb may bee equipped by the user. 196 MateriaList Category Level Price Cure 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 600g 3,000g 9,000g 600g 3,000g 9,000g 600g 3,000g 9,000g 600g 3,000g 9,000g 600g 3,000g 9,000g 600g 3,000g 9,000g 2,000g 7,500g 25,000g 2,000g 7,500g 25,000g 2,000g 7,500g 25,000g 10,000g 80,000g 200,000g 10,000g 80,000g 200,000g 600g 3,000g 9,000g 2,000g 7,500g 25,000g 2,500g 2,500g 2,500g 2,500g 600g 2,500g 2,500g 1,500g 2,500g 2,500g 200,000g 200,000g 7,500g 7,500g 7,500g 7,500g 7,500g 300,000g Ice Lightning Wind Fire Earth Revive Mystify Gravity Destruct Barrier Comet Blue Magic Sense Deathblow Slash‐All Mimic Air Strike Pillage SideBySide Elemental AddedEffect HP Drain BlazingTotema Lucky Charm Shiva Ifrit Ramuh Titan Pandemona Valorous Effect Bonus Cure: 7mp, restores (MND x 2) + 2d6 HP to single Cura: 30mp, restores health to single or all Curaja: 150mp, restores (MND x 8) + 2d6 HP to all Blizzard: 5mp, deals Ice damage to enemies Blizzara: 20mp, deals Ice damage to enemies Blizzaga: 40mp, deals Ice damage to all enemies Thunder: 5mp, deals Lightning damage Thundara: 20mp, deals Lightning damage Thundaga: 40mp, deals Lightning damage Aero: 8mp, deals Wind damage Aerora: 30mp, deals Wind damage Aeroga: 60mp, deals Wind damage Fire: 5mp, deals Fire damage to enemies Fira: 20mp, deals Fire damage to enemies Firaga: 40mp, deals Fire damage to all enemies Stone: 5mp, deals Earth damage to enemies Stona: 20mp, deals Earth damage to enemies Stonaga: 40mp, deals Earth damage to enemies Life: 30mp, brings a KO’d ally back to 1 hp Restore: 40mp, life and gain (MND x 4) + 2d6 HP Auto‐Life: 130mp, raises a fallen ally immediately Blank Gaze: 20mp, removes buffs and M.ARM Confuse: 30mp, befuddles an enemy’s mind Mystify: 200mp, use any negative status effect Eject: 15mp, launch target into the air Gravity: 50mp, (PWR x 3) damage each round Gravija: 100mp, (PWR x 5) damage/round to all Melt: 25mp, superheats items to cause damage Degenerator: 80mp, flays foe’s life force away Flare: 100mp, deals (PWR x 12) + 2d6 damage Consecrate: 10mp, blesses an area from enemies Reflect: 40mp, creates a wall that reflects magic Barrier: 100mp, blocks all ranged attacks Meteorite: 5mp, (PWR x 4) +2d6 damage to one Ray Bomb: 25mp, (PWR x 6) +2d6 damage to one Comet: 60mp, multiple attacks rain down on foes Obtain Novice blue magic with ‘Learning’ ability. Obtain Superior blue magic with ‘Learning’ ability. Obtain Ancient blue magic with ‘Learning’ ability. Grants access to the ‘Libra’ Engineer job ability Grants access to the ‘Haymaker’ Monk job ability Grants access to the ‘Cyclone’ Warrior job ability Grants access to ‘Mime’ Entertainer job ability Do not suffer penalty for attacking Flying targets Grants access to the ‘Mug’ Thief job ability Grants access to ‘Covering Fire’ Gambler ability Weapon gains varied [Elemental‐Strike] property Weapon gains varied [Status‐Touch] property Weapon gains the HP Drain property Weapon gains the Overdrive property Weapon gains the Lucky property Character gains Shiva as an individual Esper Character gains Ifrit as an individual Esper Character gains Ramuh as an individual Esper Character gains Titan as an individual Esper Character gains Pandemona as individual Esper Gain the Knights of the Round as individual Esper +1 MND +2 MND +3 MND +1 DEX +2DEX +3 DEX +1 DEX +2 DEX +3DEX +1 MND +2 MND +3 MND +1 PWR +2 PWR +3 PWR +1 RES +2 RES +3 RES +1 MND +2 MND +3 MND +1 MND +1 MND, +1 DEX +2 MND, +1 DEX +1 RES +1 RES, +1 PWR +2 RES, +1 PWR +2 PWR +4 PWR +6 PWR +2 RES +4 RES +6 RES +1 MND +2 MND +3 MND ‐ ‐ ‐ +1 MND +1 PWR +1 DEX +1 RES +1 ACC +1 AVD ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ Rarity Common Common Common Common Common Common Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Rare Rare Common Common Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Common Uncommon Uncommon Common Uncommon Uncommon Rare Rare Rare Rare Rare Rare Rare Legendary 197 FINAL FANTASY VIII "Life and death, victory and defeat, honor and disgrace... Each of these go hand in hand. There's only one way or the other. How 'bout it? Are you still up for it?" - Headmaster Cid Kramer While calm in appearance, the serenity that blankets the world is merely a curtain over the turmoil that threatens to surface at any moment. An unprovoked attack against a neighboring country, an assault by a strike team deep into enemy territory, and a declaration of war against the world plunges a previously peaceful existence into bitterness and chaos. Thrust into the ensuing madness are the military academies, locations where the best and brightest are trained to become elite mercenary units. The neighboring countries of Galbadia and Dollet grow more hostile with each passing day. And when Galbadia's irrational hostility is rumored to be linked to a woman capable of casting magic without the aid of the ‘Guardian Forces’ – Summoned creatures – a dangerous cold war becomes the starting point for a supernatural struggle that will transcend time itself. WhatisaSeeD? In ages past, an individual named Cid Kramer attempted to transform a building belonging to an ancient people – known as the ‘Centra’ – into a glorified orphanage. He dubbed it a Garden in honor of his wife’s favorite pastime, but the project was doomed to failure since it lacked financial support. As a last‐ditch effort, Cid requested several of the orphans take on part‐time jobs – as the children grew up, they became accustomed to working hard and took on jobs on par with adventuring work. The Garden benefited from the enormous funds flowing in, and in time it became a training facility. Years later, the Gardens tutor specialized military forces with classes in both general education as well as combat. When a Garden military cadet turn 15, they may attempt to become a ‘SeeD’ at an exam given every spring. Students have until the age of twenty to pass the SeeD exam before they are required to leave. Contrary to popular belief, ‘SeeD’ is not an abbreviation of any four words, but rather refer to the analogy of seeds in a garden. The capitalization of the last D has no specific or significant meaning. GuardianForces In Final Fantasy VIII, Summons are mighty autonomous energy bodies which can reside within objects and living organisms. They are known as Guardian Forces, and a character with a comparable consciousness is capable of allowing the creature to manifest for a limit period of time as normal. However, unlike in other settings, the Summons draw power from the same section of the mind that stores memories. Minimal usage can cause temporary memory loss, and long‐term alliances with Espers can have far more permanent effects. This memory loss is stated to be the reason the use of Guardian Forces is widely criticized, and Balamb Garden is the only academy where their use has been approved. Gunblades Gunblades – edged swords with a barrel running inside the length – prove that you can bring a knife to a gunfight. Used primarily for slicing through enemies like a normal sword, hitting the sword’s ‘trigger’ fires a round that sends a shockwave through the blade and into the target. Some Gunblades are even capable of firing rockets or bullets. To simulate this unique weapon, simply add the Gemini property to a Blade weapon to make it also function as a firearm with Range or give it some additional close‐range oomph with Reach. As an added bonus, this means that Gunblades can calculate their damage with either the PWR, RES, or DEX attributes! 198 Jobsand dRaces The settingg is another one populated predominantly by humans – hhowever, one o other race does deserve speccial mention. TThe Shumi are a strange gend derless people of humanoid pproportions. Th hey are generaally pale or white‐ skinned and lacking any b body hair, with h oversized han nds used for diigging and crafftsmanship. Ho owever, the Shumi's will evolve into o a appearance depends on ttheir inner natture, and at an undisclosed pperiod in their llives, a Shumi w form most reflecting theiir personality. TThis fact greatly affects theirr cultural attitu ude towards th hemselves and other beings. Exactly how w many forms a Shumi can evvolve into or w whether there is an actual lim mit to their opttions of physicaal form is also o unknown. It is known that ggreedy or cowardly Shumi caan de‐evolve in nto hideous rottund monstrossities, and it is be elieved that beccoming a Human is not impo ossible. As theirr evolution dep pends greatly o on their inhereent attitude, th he Shumi are, o on average, tolerant and hum mble pacifists oof good naturee. They refer to o individuals – both Shumi and human ‐ other by their role in a communitty instead of byy a given namee, and are also known to app point "Honorary Shumi", even outside of their own tribe. hatch at some point in the When a Shumi is killed, itt rapidly forms its body into aan egg‐like coccoon that will h uture, hinting that the species are constantly reincarnatinng and evolvingg. distance fu Most of the e traditional no on‐mage Jobs make an appearance in somee form or anotther. But as maagic is generallly unnatural aand predominaantly used by m monsters and G Guardian Forcees exclusively, players intend ding on playingg a caster in th his setting will often be shunn ned, feared…or even hunted . Adventu ureIdeas An importaant individual is falsely accused of a crime and im mprisoned in mechanized the D‐Distrrict prison, a m top‐securitty prison that b buries deep beneath th he earth’s crustt. How can the e heroes stagge a jailbreak w when the jail iss thousands of tons of rockk? The ‘Lunar Cry’ refers to an absolutely enomenon whe ere creatures bizarre phe of the Moo on ‐ monsters – – literally fall to the earth’s surface at rregular n tens of intervals. TThe cycle began thousands of years ago; aa product of e phenomenon n is similar to the pull on the tides; when thhe moon’s surfface reaches saaturation pointt with gravity, the monsters, it spills and falls to the plane et. When rese earchers discovver an upcomin ng Lunar Cry th he world begin s to panic. Thee damage caused would be sufficient to destroy entirre nations. How w can the PCs possibly hope to deal with a disaster of thiis magnitude…and ble oddity? indescribab SeeDs are ccalled to Fisherman’s Horizon n (a pacifist tow wn built arounnd a defunct trrain station) wh hen a long‐forggotten Marine Exp pedition Facility starts workin ng again, seem mingly of its ow wn accord. It haas begun to bro oadcast a stran nge frequency into the ocean ns. 199 FINAL FANTASY IX "The only dependable thing about the future is uncertainty." - Amarant Coral In the world known as Gaia, Queen Brahne of the kingdom of Alexandria lusts for power, and is trying to increase her domain by conquering the surrounding lands. The brewing war escalates when Brahne takes the advice of a dangerous advisor named Kuja, using the devastating power of the Summons to crush any nation that would oppose her invasion plans. The heroes could have no way of knowing that the advisor himself is part of a far greater plan, manipulating events as a harbinger of Gaia's destruction. Mist A strange magic phenomena found primarily on the aptly‐named Mist Continent, Mist is a low‐hanging greenish cloud that has caused many of the kingdoms to retreat to higher elevations. It has been known to negatively affect the mind, causing an increase in violent tendencies, and also to distort a character’s magical energies. The people of the Mist Continent, and in particular the city of Lindblum, have developed mist‐powered engines which are primarily used to power airships. However, this means airships will only function where there is mist, meaning they can't fly outside of Mist Continent. Additionally, the Aerbs Mountains are known for their mist‐ powered cable cars that carry tourists through the scenic vistas. TheCrystalCore The lifestream remains a driving force behind creation in Final Fantasy IX. So it is said, deep within the core of each planet lies a single luminescent crystal which is the source of all life. When a living thing dies, it’s soul and memories return to the crystal. These memories accumulate inside the planet's crystal and allow it to create ever more complex beings. Eventually, the crystal will grow dim and will be unable to create new souls, and the cycle will slow to a halt. The planet will become barren and die and the crystal will ‘move on’ to a new planet. Thus, upon a planet's death, its ‘soul’ returns to the cosmos, bringing with it the accumulated memories of the planet and allowing the universe to grow. Every planet's crystal has a unique glow, and Gaia's crystal glows in brilliant blue. JobsandRaces Final Fantasy IX is home to a swell of new species, from half‐hippos, to mole people, to man‐sized magician dolls mass‐produced as weapons of war, and quite a few of these are appropriate for adventuring heroes. The genderless Qu are an even‐tempered, relatively harmless species of rotund gourmands. They have developed a unique style of Blue Magic revolving around eating their enemies called…brace yourself…Gastromancy. The perpetually‐jolly Dwarves live in the shadow of an ancient tree, treating visitors like royalty and speaking with exaggerated Scottish accents. 200 Finally, the e Nezumi often n simply refer tto themselves aas Burmecianss (after their citty, Burmecia) iinstead of by their racial name e, and are anth hropomorphic rat‐people wh ho stand on tw o legs and are proud warriorrs. Mognet It was two simple ideas that spurred the creation of the Moogle‐maade mailing serrvice known ass Mognet; the fact that they really enjoy gettting letters fro om friends and d family, and thhe division betw ween their speecies to either settle down in on ne place or sufffer from extrem me wanderlustt. Local Mooglees collect satch hels full of letters which theyy then pass off to their flighty kin, who flit from m continent to o continent andd drop them offf at the waitin ng ‘Mognet’ central stations. Th hey bring not o only the letterss but news from m around the w world. While some would argue that this is a rrather uncertaiin way to sendd messages…esspecially when magic is so emain convince ed that waking up to a perpettually‐cheerful Moogle knocking at your front commonplace…others re door, bringging good tidings from your far‐off friends in exchange fo r a bit of breakkfast is the ONLY way to do things. Adventu ureIdeas Lord Avon is a genius playywright known n for his famou us works such aas "I Want to bbe Your Canaryy", and "Wishin ng ar" and other u unnamed workks. But when a five‐hundred yyear‐old manuscript penned by Lord Avon is Upon A Sta discovered d and reveals him to have bee en a Summone er of Madain Saari, a lone scho olar (who also happens to bee a big fan) begin scouring his plays for veiled messages and clues to the paast. The PCs caan’t possibly taake the situatio on seriously att first; at least,, not until the sscholar barely escapes an asssassination atttempt. Can theere actually be ancient seccrets hidden in n a theater playy? Oglops – crreepy ladybug‐‐like insects – p produce an oil that remains oone of the mosst popular med dicines on the market…an nd in Conde Pe etie, seasoned oglop is consid dered a delicaccy. So when thee heroes are approached by a merchant aasking to captu ure him a few, they think notthing of it. How w could they kn now that once a year during mating seaason, the oily O Oglops swarm in groups of tens of thousandds…. The Festivaal of the Hunt iis an age‐old trradition in the city of Lindbluum where vicio ous creatures are released in the streets and d warriors from m around the globe participatte to clear them m out. But pan nic begins to risse in the city w when, hours afterr the buffet to celebrate the victor and the streets have bbeen re‐opened d, they realize that one of th he beasts is sttill unaccounted for. The party d discovered a w wounded baby cchocobo chick clutching a sm mall stone tableet in one claweed foot. After tthe chick is nurrsed back to he ealth, it lets the group take a glance at the strange tablett – which appears to be a shattered ssection of treasure map. The chick seems stubbornly deteermined to follow the ancien nt directions inscribed o on the glyph, but once translaated, it turns out that some oof the direction ns are beyond bizarre – ‘go to the bottom of the ocean,’ ‘climb the highesst mountain,’ aand more. Wheere are this cho ocobo’s parentts, and is the ancient sto one map some sort of convoluted prank or something els e entirely? 201 FINA AL FA ANT TASY YX "Although I know the jou urney will be ha ard, we have lots of time. The road is ahead d of us, so let's start out todayy. The people and th he friends that we have lost, or o the dreams tthat have faded d... Never forge et them." - Yuna Greatly ressembling a singgle large island, the world of Spira is a placee of duality. From verdaant, lush wood dlands to tropiccal paradises, aat first glance, Spira seems to o be a place off life. Heroes arre commonplace – adventurers, mages, ch hocobo knightss and warriors are welcomed d with open arms wherever tthey d it would doub btless be a paraadise were it n not for Sin – thee ancient beasst that threaten ns the whole w world. travel. And For one tho ousand years SSin has roamed d Spira with see emingly no pu rpose other th han to bring deestruction. The religious teachings of an ancient sccholar named YYu Yevon preacch of peace and harmony, beenevolence in aa e only a few m million people liive and virtuallly any kind of ttechnological aand much diminished world ‐ a world where 00 years. Machines, once abuundant, are shu unned by the rreligious order;; they social proggress has been asleep for 100 preach that Sin is mankin nd’s punishmen nt for growing too prideful annd reliant on technology. On nly the Al Bhed try to me of the lost knowledge, and d they have been permanenttly despised regain som and outcasst for this simple view. The sport o of Blitzball unittes the whole w world around aa common passsion, the sport that ssurvived Sin's ccoming and go oing year after year. But beneeath the surface uniity of Spiran m mainland, distru ust and old angger still boils deeep: without Sin n's dreadfully p pacifying prese ence war would d certainly eru pt. The Summoners and theiir Guardians arre tasked with defeating Sin oon a es great sacrificce. journey known as a ‘pilgrrimage’, an actt which require m Sin’s consta nt threat; But only a ffew brief yearss of reprieve are granted from Can anyone e truly say a cyycle of death brings hope for the future? Sin One thousaand years ago, a nation of technological miight – Bevelle –– declared war on a ciity of mystics – – Zanarkand. Th hough the magges of Zanarka nd were no match ffor the machines of their opp pressor, a single man was unw willing to let his natio on end in defeat. His name w was Yu Yevon, aand in a powerrful ritual he transforrmed the city aand all its inhab bitants into a SSummon; Zanaarkand, the City That N Never Sleeps. In n order to prottect himself and maintain thee ritual forever, he e forged a livingg armor made from the soulss of the dead ‐ the monster, Sin. ure a set of verry simple, but ffanatical, instr uctions: Yu Yevon ggave this creatu destroy anyy machina or ssettlement whiich grew largerr than a small vvillage in order to brring technical e evolution to a h halt, and retaliate to all hostiility with extreme prrejudice. Howe ever, the strain n on summonin ng both Sin andd maintaining his beloved D Dream Zanarkaand proved too o much, even ffor Yu n was left solelly with instinctt and the Yevon’s considerable abilities. Soon, Sin 202 instructions given to it up pon creation. SSin's first act ass such was to ddestroy the reaal Zanarkand. TThe armies of w this destruction and retreated, bringing tthe first news oof the great mo onster. Bevelle saw Yu Yevon h had informed h his wife of this mad plan and taughtt her a eature. means of ccalming the cre She passed d this knowledgge on to the leaderss of Bevelle, thus beginning tthe teachings o of Yevon and the endless resurrecttion of ppable beast. the unstop Jobsand dRaces Changing Jobs frequentlyy is n Spira, especiaally due to common in people focusing on a sele ection of abilities to make the em the ‘star pl ayer’ of a blitzzball team. Bluee Magic is ngineers are rare due to the predominaantly the domain of the Ronso, and Time Magic is all but‐uunheard of. En anathema regarding tech hnology. e myriad of races of Spira are e the Ronso, po owerfully‐built,, blue‐skinned feline humano oids known forr their Among the strong sensse of honor and pride who gu uard their sacrred mountain ffiercely. The All Bhed are iden ntical to humans except for their uniquely swirled pupils and stunningly green eyes, aand are the on nly Spiran race to openly rejeect the of Yevon and u use Machina. Fo or this reason they are oftenn ostracized by the rest of thee population, aand teachings o have developed their own language thaat remains neaarly indecipherrable to the resst of the world. Dolls Stuffed avaatars and effigiies, Dolls are fo oot‐tall teddy b bears and toyss that have beeen animated byy magic, often serving as A Arcane weapons for various colors of mage e. However, soome characterss might wish fo or their Dolls to o be more functtional outside o of combat. We suggest taking the An nimal Companiion shared abillity with the foollowing talentss; Loyal, Familiiarity, Talkativee, and on can strike ou ut with cotton‐‐filled limbs an nd tiny wooden n swords, but ccan Aggressive. In this way a Doll companio mal to overhearr also act as a mage’s eyes and hands outside of battle.. Whether pos ing as a regulaar stuffed anim ons or runningg and fetching kkeys to a locke ed jail cell, thesse plush‐stuffed companionss have much to o offer conversatio their creato or. TheUnssent Being ‘Unsent’ is a state o of being in Spirra, as well as th he common naame for those in that state. W When a person n dies, the spirit o of the person goes to the Farp plane with the help of a Sum mmoner perform ming a ritual caalled the Sending. If a person's spirit is not guided, or ‘Sent,’ to the Farplan ne in this way,, it can remain as a ghost‐likee apparition capable of affectingg the living world. While som me Unsent can retain a corpo ral state and a rational mind, most are typiically overcome by malice. The ey envy the livin ng, which in tim me becomes a hatred so pro ofound it can caause the transformaation of the undeparted soul into a Fiends. An Unsent is ccapable of ending its own exiistence whenever it so choosess. 203 AdventureIdeas The Al Bhed have recently begun winning matches with a newly‐formed team of quiet, masked players. Nobody knows where they come from, but the team has been dominating the blitzball championship circuit with ruthless efficiency. Some have begun to speculate foul play ‐ could the Al Bhed be using Machina to win? And if so, for what purpose? A scholar from Djose has proclaimed he has found an ancient sphere that teaches the process required to turn a mortal man or woman into a Fayth. For a thousand years Sin has claimed countless lives. Each decade a single Summoner sets forth on a pilgrimage to stop Sin, bringing the Calm for ten years before the cycle of death begins anew. When a Summoner’s journey ends abruptly with him giving up, the heroes – former Guardians – are faced with a choice. Can they, too, simply abandon their journey? Or will they choose to ignore the traditional teachings of Yevon, devising their own eccentric means of battling the great destroyer? OptionalNewSystem:Blitzball Spira’s most popular sport is played in a massive sphere made of water and centered in a stadium of thousands. A Blitzball game consists of two (generally six‐person, though they’ve historically been as small as three or as large as a dozen) teams who are each attempting to kick the Blitzball (a resilient rubber ball no larger than a person’s head but weighing over a hundred pounds; a necessity for an item that is designed to be launched fluidly through water) into the other team’s goal. Traditionally, a game consists of two 5‐minute rounds, separated by an intermission between the rounds. Most Blitzball players are trained professionals. After all, those Blitzballs weigh much, much more than they appear, a necessity for their ability to move fluidly through the water. Despite this, heroes like the PCs can employ their own unique abilities in the sphere and prove surprisingly effective. You’ve never seen blitzball until you see a team of ninjas take on a geomancer and his allies, while a red mage sweet‐talks the opposing team’s goalie. What follows is a full set of rules to take your existing characters and drop them right into a Blitzball match without having to modify things too much; after all, a good game of Blitzball really isn’t that much different than combat, when you come right down to it. Some progressive‐thinking groups have even decided to capitalize on that fact by announcing exhibition matches with wildly different rules; Difficult Terrain caused by whirling electronic whirlpools, nonlethal critters such as jellyfish being allowed into the sphere, and all sorts of other crude modifications to the otherwise simple sport. Positions When forming your team, it’s important to decide what sort of role your character would best fill, and choose a ‘position’ accordingly. Blitzball requires a balanced mix of offense and defense, and characters who can put the physical hurt on the other team are as valued as those who can score goals or get the crowds on their side. There are three different roles that can be filled. Striker: Can Score. The front‐line men, strikers are dexterous individuals who focus on getting the three points needed to win the game. Each team needs a minimum of one Striker to be eligible for competitive play. 204 Defenderr: Can Guard. The best Defennders are charracters that cann take a hit andd dish it out rigght back. Goalie: Can Inspire. Goaalies are generrally quick in booth mind and bbody. While thhey aren’t actuually required, a team can o only have a maximum of 1 go oalie. ActionsDuringBlittzball Once the ggame is underw way, characterss only have so many options at their dispossal. All characters can move, Attack, Passs, and Intercep pt, and they eaach get one mo ore choice from m by their seleected position. Moving: Blitzing is veryy much like standard combat. You may movve a Short Rangge (one sectionn of the field) aand perform a sstandard action (such as attaacking or passin ng), or you maay move from o one end of thee field to the otther and take no o other actionss. By making a sufficiently im mpressive Swim mming skill a ch haracter can m move a Medium m Range and perform a standard action, instead. Attackingg: The ball, if uused as a weappon, deals (PWR x Half Level) + 2d6 points oof damage andd can target opponentss at Medium Raange. Unarmed d attacks such as tackles rem main unchanged d from the norrmal rules, and d generally should remain tthe purview off people with tthe Brawl skill. he secret to win nning Blitzball,, however. By ccombining their efforts, two or more playeers can Teamwork Attacks are th offensive barraage that interru upts Slow actio ons…such as ennemy players aattempting to pass the ball. launch an o Passing: Passing is a Sloow action whicch allows you to toss the blitzzball accuratelyy and without failure to any Defender o or Striker on th he field. Interceptt: If you are wiithin Short Rannge of the oppoosing team meember who currrently has thee blitzball, you can choose to iintercept them m as a Standard d action and attempt to wresst it away. The Intercepting character makees a Force check opposed by e either a Force or Finesse che eck, whichever is higher. If the character is a Thief, they m may e. If the Interceepting characteer wins the opposed check, tthey use their Stteal ability to rroll Thievery in place of Force are now in possession of the ball. Score: The Striker takess aim and makees his move, thhrowing or kickking the blitzbaall towards thee opposing team m’s goal. The SStriker makes aa Force or Finessse check, opposed by the ennemy Goalie. SScoring suffers a ‐2 penalty to o the roll at Med dium Range, an nd a ‐4 penalty at Long Range e. If the total chheck result is p painfully low, tthe Striker missses the goalposts completelyy and the ball iss launched outtside of the staadium. Only Strikers may usee the Score acttion. Guaard: Guardingg is an Instant aaction that youu can perform at any time, evven whe en it is not your turn. Wheneever a characteer within Short Range would ttake dam mage, you may move in front of them and ttake the hit in ttheir stead. An ny com mbat damage th hat would be ttaken by an allyy is applied to the Guarder inste ead. Only Defe enders may usse the Guard action. Insp pire: With verry little else to do when theyy aren’t under ssiege by Strikers tryin ng to score, a G Goalie often finnds himself strrutting and playying the crowd ds, or shou uting out tacticcal suggestionss to his teamm mates. The Goalie chooses one ally and takes a Slow aaction to surveyy the field or gget the crowd cchanting. On th he owing round, th he Goalie makees a Finesse, PPerform or Neggotiate check (aat a follo 205 varying difficulty depending on how the game has been going so far, or if they’re on their home field and so on). If successful, the target ally either regains (MND x Half Level) + 2d6 HP as he finds his second wind, or receives a +2 bonus to all rolls on his next turn. The GM might rule this bonus is granted to the Goalie’s entire team with a Supreme or better check result. A Goalie who is in the middle of Inspiring his allies cannot stop Strikers from scoring, however, so this powerful technique must be used with caution. Only Goalies may use the Inspire action. Faceoff: At the start of each of the two rounds, a referee tosses the ball into the Blitzball stadium – each Striker may make a Finesse check, and the highest roller grabs the ball. Characters who have job abilities that let them act in a pre‐emptive round in combat automatically succeed here (unless two or more characters have such abilities, in which case those 2+ characters roll it out as normal). Rules The first team to score 3 goals is declared the victor. Alternatively, a team may be awarded a victory if there are no conscious Strikers on the opposing team. Getting knocked unconscious or being crippled with status ailments means the character is usually removed from the field by a referee, and may only re‐join the match if there’s a break in the action such as ‘half time’. Although it can vary in impromptu games (or illegal matches), breaking any of the following rules is an automatic penalty, and any character who does so is removed from the field immediately; casting a spell including a Summon, being outside the Blitzsphere for more than two round, using weapons or armor, attacking a Goalie, or using job abilities that don’t appear in the following section or haven’t been approved for use by the GM. Blitzball‐AppropriateAbilities Ultimately, the GM gets the final say as to what’s allowed and what isn’t, but below is a suggested list of Job Abilities that would be beneficial in a Blitzball game, but wouldn’t completely destroy the delicate balance of the above rules or are simply too much fun to pass up. We didn’t include abilities that are probably irrelevant, since we don't expect characters to intentionally break rules, need elemental immunities, invite their animal companion along, or require bonus damage when fighting dragons...but then again, you just never know…. Aerial Maneuver Aim Allure Ammunition Army of One Assassin’s Kiss Astra Augment Bad Breath Barrage Benediction Berserker Black Sky Blackout Blessed Existence Blink Bonecrusher Break Arts Center Stage Chakra Chambara Charismagic Cheat Fate Cover Covering Fire Cross‐Counter Cyclone Darkside Dazzling Display Defy Gravity Elemental Body Evasion Disabling Shot Double Agent Dragonheart Earth’s Embrace Execution Favored Terrain Feint Final Heaven First Strike Flawless Form Flimflam Force of Nature Formless Strikes From The Heart Geotrance (Water) Geowareness Grim Reaper Hamedo Haymaker Hide Highwind Hundred Fists Image Invincible Jinx Juggler Jump Killing Machine Lancet Last Resort Last Stand Leadership Libra Limit Breaker Long Shot Mad Rush Mana Shield Martial Arts Master Thief Mime Mind over Matter Mug Orlandeau’s Strike Outmaneuver Paradigm Shift Parry Passive Fist Peaceful Messenger Power Chord Provoke Pure Soul Quick Hit Reprimand Reversal Ride The Storm Rippler Sacrifice Saint’s Cross Save The Day Shadowbind Shield of Light Shockwave Showstopper Sidewinder Skyforged Slight of Hand Slots Sneak Attack Stacked Deck Skip Town Status Resistant Steal the Spotlight Telekinesis The Last Word Third Eye Threaten Trauma Trick Shot Twin Soul Unstoppable Velocity Vendetta Victory Pose Whirling Spear Wildfire Winning Streak X‐Attack 206 FINAL FANTASY XI "I need to be stronger." Twenty years ago, the Great Crystal War ravaged the land of Vana'diel. A demonic warlord united the Beastmen races of the world and led them against the five ‘enlightened races’ of the goddess Altana. The nations of Vana'diel attempted to fight the Beastmen independently, only to suffer repeated losses against their enemies' vastly‐superior numbers. At the pinnacle of the conflict, the nations of San d'Oria, Bastok, Jeuno, Windurst, and Tavnazia put aside their historical enmities and for the first time in history stood united. Finally, after more than two years of bloody battles, the Shadow Lord and his Beastmen forces were broken and defeated. Victory came at a high price, however — many of the city‐states were in ruins, and Tavnazia was completely wiped off the map altogether. The death toll was estimated to be in the tens of thousands. Vana'diel has drastically changed in the twenty years since the war; a period of tentative calm presides. The tentative friendship still stands between the remaining nations, and with it comes a new age. Many cities have managed to rebuild and achieve some standards of life that existed before the Great War, while trade and Airship routes between once‐isolated nations now exist. The nations have not yet fully recovered from the drastic loss of personnel, and subsequently have come to rely on Adventurers. These would‐be heroes and mercenaries are charged with the task of maintaining the fragile peace across the lands, even as rumors of a brooding darkness once again begin to circulate. JobsandRaces The five ‘Enlightened Races’ of Vana'diel and their cities are as follows: Humes, who are said to suffer from the sin of Apathy, built the Republic of Bastok in the wastes of a mineral‐rich landscape. They are adaptable and cunning. Galka, who are said to suffer from the sin of Rage, have no home city and instead settled in Bastok with the Humes. They are treated as refugees and an underclass, but manage to eke out a living with hard physical labor. Elvaan, who are said to suffer from the sin of Arrogance, formed the militaristically powerful city of San d’Oria. The sound of their national anthem plays throughout the streets proudly. Mithra, who are said to suffer from the sin of Envy, are catlike amazonesses that have settled in the Federation of Windurst with the Tarutaru. Tarutaru, who are said to suffer from the sin of cowardice, reside in the Federation of Windurst where they spend their days poring over books and advancing the development of magical knowledge. Other than Engineers and Time Mages, all of the standard Jobs made an appearance in Final Fantasy XI. The game also introduced a concept call ‘Subjobs’, where each character could be a conglomerate of two different Jobs. GMs wishing to stick true to the source material could make the following rule alteration; OptionalRule:Subjobs If the GM declares this option rule is in play, each player must declare one additional Job of his or her choice during character creation. They character may only expend Destiny to Job Change back and forth between the named Job and the one they started play as; however, the cost for doing so is reduced to only 1 Destiny instead of the standard 3. 207 Optiona alRule:JugPetsandA Automatonss A geomanccer with the Be eastmaster limit ability can tu urn fearsome ffoes into tentative allies, whiich is a strangee practice jusst about anywhere…except o on Vana’diel. C Certain creaturees have been d domesticated o over centuries of mutual dep pendence, and d others still are e simply strangge or popular eenough that th hey’re for sale in curio shoppes around the e world. They aare known as ‘JJug Pets’ due to the fact thatt the baby creaatures or even eggs are sold aalong with a ceraamic jug to servve as the newb born’s temporaary home. It is even saaid that far to the east on the e Aradijah continent, in the w warring city of Aht Urhgan, such monstrous allies aren’t simply found d or purchased…they are mad de. nd Automatonss are regular crreatures with o one important difference; they are always treated as bein ng the Jug Pets an same level as the Geomancer who has tamed them. A Although thesee companions ccould theoretically accompany a er all the way ffrom level one to level fifteen, this isn’t reccommended – creatures don’t scale as well as Beastmaste player charracters do, and d the usefulnesss of these crittters will event ually taper offf. For example, a Courier Crrab who belongs to a level 14 4 Geomancer w would have 7556 hit points (14 per level from its ute, plus 40 perr level for being an Aquan‐type creature) bbut only deal 700 + 2d6 damagge with Big Scisssors; RES attribu the crab’s P PWR of 10 multiplied by 7 – h half of it’s leve el, thanks to th e fact that it grows with its o owner. We’ve inclu uded three exaamples of such h pets here, but clever GMs w will undoubted dly be able to b build more. 208 209 FINA F AL FA ANTA ASY XII "We are the arbiters a of our d destiny." - Ba asch fon Ronse enburg Svagatam, traveler. Final Fantaasy XII takes plaace in the Kingdom of Dalmasca, a small citty‐state in the world of Ivalicce. A neutral paarty in the past waars between th he neighboringg Empires of Arrchadia and Roozarria, Dalmassca was ultimaately conquered by Archadia and reduced to the status of aan occupied staate under Archhadian rule wh hen its King agrreed to Imperiaal ble conspiracie s lay behind th he might of thee Empire? terms. Willl this war ever see an end? And what terrib Clansan ndHunts The Archad dian soldiers haave their hands full as it is de ealing with pol itical uprisingss and the criminal underworld d, and every so offten a dangero ous monster roams free for days or even weeeks at a time until troops caan be sent out to deal with the threat. Man ny folk began tturning to inde ependent bounnty hunters and d mercenaries to defeat thesse willing to pay o out‐of‐pocket ffor peace of m mind. Over timee, groups of hu unters began to o organize monsters, w themselvess as Clans. The empire was quick to show their approval aand sanction th he work of thee clans, since both groups werre ultimately w working toward d the same goaal. This means that, when pursuing a mark, registered Claan members h have a great de eal of legal leew way and can ge enerally go whhere they pleasse. Jobs andRacess All of tthe common Ivvalician races aappear here, from the foorest‐dwelling V Viera, to the w winged Gria, to o the pot‐beellied Seeq. Att the start of th his chapter we presennted the Nu M Mou and the Baangaa in an atttempt to breeathe some lifee into these commonplace denizeens. All of tthe standard Jobs appear in Final Fantasy X XII and alll are of generaally equal use iin this politicallly turbullent, adventure‐filled world. Mistt Mist iss responsible ffor the existence of 'Magicitee', gemsttones that contain magical powers due to tthe presennce of Mist in ttheir crystallin ne structure. Magiccite is divided into three typees; spellstones that are ussed in the use o of magic, skysttones that are installled into mechaanical components that give flight to vehhicles, whetherr small‐sized bikes or large airshipps, and memsttones that funcction much likee recordding devices. TThe quality of M Magicite depen nds on the quuantity of Mistt and not on th he size or shapee of the st one. The ubiqu uitousness of m magic and Maggicite, o it replacing as we ll as its cost‐effficiency, led to 210 electricity and its various sources as the dominant usable energy in Ivalice. Due to the influence of Mist, several areas of Ivalice are known as 'jagd', areas in which Mist‐laden winds and magicite‐rich soil interfere with airship mechanisms. As such, jagds tend to be harsh, lawless frontiers, uncontrolled by any nation. GMs might wish to describe Jagd areas mechanically as Difficult Terrain, where the character must succeed at a moderately‐difficult Finesse check in order to be able to successfully cast any spell, use any item powered by magic, or use an action to activate any weapon or armor property. Nethicite, another type of magicite, works by absorbing Mist, thus nullifying the effects of magic and storing vast amounts of power. Nethicite can be described as either deifacted or manufacted (literally, god‐made or man‐ made). Deifacted Nethicite contains a large amount of magic, theoretically making it powerful enough to help reshape the world if used correctly…or incorrectly. TheOccuria The Occuria are the most powerful beings in the world of Ivalice. Though their existence is unknown to the world at large, they are apparently immortal and immoral entities willing to do whatever it takes to lead the world of Ivalice into matching 'their vision,' whatever that may be, including using phantom images of loved ones to manipulate people and sealing away insubordinate races who refused to accept the Occurian weave of fate. The Occuria are apparently genderless, though they possess feminine voices and masculine titles. They have the ability to create and appear as ghosts and images. Their natural form is a floating specter with an ornate, armor‐ like appearance, and their speech resembles an archaic, poetic form of the common tongue. The Occuria have no visible faces, only glowing yellow eyes floating in an empty black void. An Occuria's physical manifestation exudes a great deal of Mist, which allows them to possess other beings and merge with them to drastically increase their Power. This is always a deadly one‐way‐trip for the host body. AdventureIdeas Seven centuries ago, the Occuria, knowing the Garif knew much about magicite and the ways of the world, granted the peaceful people of the Jahara plains some Nethicite. However, even the wisest Garif knew not how to use the stones, and, as such, several pieces were presented as a gift to the Dynast‐King instead. But it is said the Garif still know the location of one such Nethicite shards… The sky city of Bhujerba is an island of peace in the raging storm that is Ivalice. Thanks to the Marquis’ diplomacy and tact, the people of the city are protected from the empire’s strong arm save for a few soldiers keeping a watchful eye on the city. But when imperial troops start vanishing in the Lhusu Mines ‐ excavated tunnels beneath the city where dozens of workers spend each day unearthing precious Magicite – will the PCs choose to turn a blind eye? Has the empire found something of interest down in those dark tunnels…or has it found the empire? A young, blind Seeq has been well‐known to the people of Dalmasca for many years. He peddles small confectionaries wrapped lovingly in wax paper for only a single gil, and bouquets of freshly‐picked wildflowers for only a few gil more. What most people don’t know is that this Seeq’s main source of income doesn’t come from the candies or posies, but rather for the discreet messages he passes using the parchment wrapped around his flowers. One of the PCs receives one such message, and the befuddled Seeq must apologetically explain he never saw who wrote the note or knows what it said – he only remembers a wispy, feminine voice that sent chills down his spine. 211 FINA F AL FA ANTA ASY XIII "Sinc ce when have heroes ever ne eeded plans?" - Snow Villiers The world of Final Fantassy XIII is a storyy about two wo orlds; the floatting, spherical machine city o of Cocoon, and the ow ‐ Gran Pulse e, a land of nattural evolution n and harsh willderness. planet belo orld powered by entities know wn as fal'Cie, m malevolent Esp pers responsible for running Cocoon is aan artificial wo everything from the artificial sun to cultivating the lan nd and providi ng water, to keeeping the wo orld of Cocoon e's atmosphere. Over eight m millions individduals populate the planetoid,, living their daays in floating witthin Gran Pulse the shadow ws of the fal’Cie and under th he iron thumb of the central government, tthe Sanctum. The people e of Cocoon are e made to believe that Pulse is a hellish plaace, and the peeople are kept in constant feaar of a possible invvasion. The Sanctum uses miilitary force to quarantine, exxile, or kill anyone from Coco oon who it beliieves has been in nfluenced by th he outside worrld. In reality, tthe humans wh ho once lived o on Gran Pulse aare all but periished, with linggering architeccture being theeir only living testament ‐ the world below w is now populaated entirely bby monsters. Cie provide thee Furthermore, Cocoon is ssecretly a sacrificial vessel of millions of innnocent human lives. The fal'C d in exchange, when the time e is right, they will destroy Cocoon and all its inhabitants in humans a ""paradise", and order to tryy and summon n forth their ‘M Maker’ from the e lifestream. H owever, the faal'Cie themselvves are unable to hit the self‐destruct button ffor Cocoon – itt is contrary to their core proogramming and d purpose ‐ so they subtly e events to gain ‘help’ from P Pulse l'Cie. manipulate l’Cie The l'Cie (p pronounced "lu uh‐see") are pe eople branded and forced intto servitude byy the god‐mach hine Espers known as fal’Cie. TThey gain the ggift of magic, but also bear th he burden of coompleting a task ‐ known as a Focus ‐ for th heir fal'Cie masster. However, the fal'Cie willl not explicitly tell the l'Cie w what their Focus is. Instead, th hey must figurre it out for themselves with tthe aid of vario ous ambiguouss visions. The l'Cie is branded with a tattoo‐like symbol visible ssomewhere onn their person'ss body, which usually appearrs as e of black arrow ws. Over time, the arrows muultiply and a clo osed eye is revvealed. When tthe an overlapping sequence ully, the l'Cie's time to complete their Focuus has run out. Should the l’C Cie fail to fulfill this eye of the brand opens fu ore his or her brand advancess to its final staage, that l'Cie bbecomes what is known as a Cie'th – the Focus befo soulless. M Mired in eternal sorrow and rregret, and rob bbed of all freee will, Cie'th aree damned to w wander the world unliving an nd undying, un ntil their corrup pted and decom mposing flesh at last can move no more. Fo or Cie'th, theree is no salvation. or completing a Focus is not much better, ffor the l'Cie will be granted eeternal youth aand However, tthe "reward" fo turned into o a crystal, to ssleep peacefully until the nexxt time the l’Ciee has need of tthem. It is for tthis reason thaat many thinkk the fate of a ll'Cie is worse than death itse elf. unted relentlesssly as If the Sancttum was ever tto discover a l'Cie serving an Esper from Puulse, they woulld surely be hu a dangerou us enemy of Co ocoon’s societyy. The l'Cie of C Cocoon, howevver, are hailed as heroes and d often are recrruited directly into the military. Jobsand dRaces Final Fantaasy XIII is canon nically anotherr all‐human gam me, but then aagain, we have no idea what sort of speciess lived on the surfface of Pulse in n ages past. It rremains entirely plausible thaat some races still remain. 212 Optiona alRule:Stag gger A new com mbat tactic eme erges in Final FFantasy XIII that allows heroees to stagger th heir enemies by hitting them hard and fast en nough to reducce their armor values to zero. Whenever a character ro olls a critical hitt, he may declaare he is attem mpting to stagger the targeted d enemy. Theyy pposed Force ccheck and, if th he character su ucceeds, inflictts his enemies with Armor Brreak condition make an op (giving them an ARM and d MARM score of 0). Monsterrs Many of th he creatures that inhabit Coco oon and the ‘w wasteland’ porttions of Gran PPulse are mech hanical, automated beasts. It’s easy enough tto reflect this; simply use the e normal stats ffor monsters, add Construct as a secondary nd change theiir visual descrip ptions to suit yyour needs. Boombs may be p polyhedral shap pes and common species, an beasts might be motorize ed bionic predaators called Pantherons, but the differencee is minimal at best. Eidolonss Within the soul of each l’Cie lies a powe erful spirit kno own as an Eidollon – a summo onable Esper. W While they grant the powers of magic to their hosts, they can also manifesst directly as poowerful summoned creaturees. hows signs of w weakness or deespair, at whicch point the eid dolon reveals They often lie dormant until the l’Cie sh must overcome themselvess for the first time – generallyy to confront ttheir failing l’Ciie in combat. TThe character m their emotional uncertain nties and win tthe Eidolon's allegiance, or faace death. An eeidolon that is defeated in baattle d their worth. like this serrves their host unwaveringly from then on,, the characterr having proved In addition to their comb bat prowess, su ummons in the world of Finall Fantasy XIII p possess the unique ability to o transform ‐ into vessels and d vehicles, ranging from mottorbikes to moving fortressess to lumbering Gestalt – to mechanical war machines. ers of an eidolo on – an event tthat happens ggenerally at thee GM’s discrettion – the charaacter Upon obtaining the powe matically gains tthe Special Veh hicle shared ab bility. This also autom allows them to constructt Special Vehiccles that are allso All Special Vehicle Eidolons sh hould have the e Magic Eidolons! A Touch talen nt, and cannott take Good Nig ght’s Sleep or Smuggler’ss Hold. ummon your newly‐created ccharacter When decciding which su will takee as their Eidolo on, you still rem main restricted d by the standa ard levels. For eexample, a cha aracter who ch hooses Carbuncle to be their Eido olon will gain a access to the su ummon at as a character w who settles on Bahamut very early levels, wherea much use of the Eidolon untill much, much later in the won’t see m game. Eidolons in n Final Fantasy XIII do not posssess Devotion ns, and thus do not grant Destinyy to the characcter. They do, h however, dditional abilityy: gain the ad n into a vehicular form, Gestalt Atttack: The Eidolon shifts down granting th he character temporary contrrol over its vast array of mechanical powers. Gesttalt attack dealls (Vehicles Skill x Twice M.ARM damage e to all Level) + 2d6 points of Non‐Elemental M enemies. 213 FINA AL FANT F TASY Y TA ACTICS "Never " shame your y name... never tolerate in njustice... living g true to your he eart is the warrrior's way.” - Balbanes Beoulve Ivalice is a kingdom divided by war and class segregattion, where heeroes must risee to rise amongg the masses. LLords, d aristocrats wiield much of th he real power o of the country,, living luxuriou usly while plottting against on ne nobles and another. nds revolve aro ound the Zodiaac Brave Story,, which deals w with twelve kniights who used d the power off Many legen Zodiac Ston nes—magicite shards engravved with symbo ols of the twelvve Zodiac consstellations—to fight against aa demon sum mmoned by an ambitious king to control Ivaalice. Many of th hese legends haave been prese erved in powerful tomes. It hhas been said tthat some of th hese books aree so powerful th hey are capablle of opening rifts in the dime ensions, sendinng any who maay be reading o of Ivalician legends back through time to livee the stories de escribed within n. Clans The major driving force in n the world of Ivalice is the C Clans, organizattions of like‐m minded warriorss and hunters e paying customer, no matter what. Clans aallows enterprrising individuaals to 'lease' theeir dedicated tto assisting the employeess for various usses, and in retu urn, provide their members w with a handful of benefits succh as guaranteeed allies and aa steady flow o of gil. They are subject to an e ever‐changing membership aas new membeers are hired an nd discarded d daily. A well‐to‐d do Clan hall migght boast dorm mitories, a train ning hall, a med dical center, a library, and a h hero’s hall; partt museum, p part hall of fam me, and part shrine to the departed. O On the other h hand, a new Claan might have all of their me eetings out of tthe local pub. Officially, C Clans have a plethora of ruless and regulatio ons, though eve eryone summaarily ignores 99 9% of them. On nly one rule is constantly enfforced and abided with absolute are your familyy. To dedication: Your fellow cllan members a turn your b back on a mem mber in need is to find yourself lf out on your asss. In addition to the above, the clan also h has no use for members w who accept payyment for an in ncomplete job b. What the ccustomer pays for, the custom mer gets. Come hell or high h water. Thouggh, if the customer decides to o backstab th he Clan, the members are fre ee to return the favor. 214 Optiona alRule:Grid d‐BasedCo ombat For GMs lo ooking to repliccate the combaat found in the e Final Fantasy Tactics series of games, theyy’ll need a few more supplies than a few six‐sided dice, pape er and pencils. The system reevolves around d a combat ‘grid’, where vast fields and cramped dungeons aare represented by one‐inch squares. Playeers will need to o use a grid maap simply to vissualize exities of battle e, using small m miniature figurres or tokens too represent th hemselves and their enemies. the comple Each squarre can only eve er be occupied by one characcter or creaturee at a time. Moveme ent Instead of being able to aautomatically m move a Short R Range each rouund, or a Medium Range as aa standard action, number of squaares they can m move each turn. characters are now restriicted to a set n Once eacch turn, a charaacter may movve a number off squares equaal to 1 + Theirr Finesse sco ore as an Insttant action. TThis movement may be takenn at the start oof their turn, thhe end, or anyw where in‐betw ween, but they can’t move, attack, an m nd then move again. Charactters can move diagonally. Range Now that the Final Fantasy d6 has shifted towards a m more specific sset of range inccrements than vague ow to read spellls and abilitiess so they makee sense on a grid. measurements, you’ll need to know ho A Short Ra ange refers to one square iin any direction from the character. Orr, to put it anotther way, immediately adjacent. Th hus, characterss cannot make Short Range m melee attacks u unless they aree directly next to their targett. A Medium m Range referss to six square es away from the character. This is most ooften used for A Abilities and Raanged weapons such as guns orr bows. a or target on thhe grid, and Lo cal spells conttinue to hit eveery possible target A Long Range refers to any square o on the batttlefield regardlless of distance e. Characters cannot target spaces of figures they do no ot have a directt line of sight tto – ducking beehind a tree is a good way tto avoid enemyy fire for a round, for example. Magican ndRange Magic rece eives a fairly siggnificant overh haul when playying in a Final FFantasy Tacticss game. Spells n no longer differentiatte between en nemy and ally, and instead afffect a numberr of individual ‘‘combat squarees’ based on th he normal size e of the spell. SSince most spe ells are Medium m Range, they can only strikee a target 6 squares away or less. Although ‘SSelf’ and ‘Singlle’ target spells don’t change e, ‘Group’ targeet spells no lon nger affect all alllies or enemie es within a certtain distance. Instead, they, ttoo, are targeteed spells. Theyy must choose a single squarre that serves aas their primarry target, and itt affects all o other enemies or allies adjacent to that primary square. 215 Adventu ures Though it isn’t always the e norm, adventtures in the recent Final Fanttasy Tactics Gaames have beeen far more ed romps, everrything from ussing Bug‐B‐Gon ne to defeat in sects preying o on Gysahl greeen crops, to a lighthearte Moogle’s ‘aadorable’ pet A Adamantoise o or Malboro gettting loose andd wrecking havoc. In the original, missions sstill retained a tongue‐in‐cheek attitude de spite the dead dly serious polittical plot that occupied th he main story. Judgesa andtheLaw w The heavilyy‐armored, quaasi‐magical enfforcers of the llaw known as JJudges are a sp pecial order off knights underr Imperial co ontrol. As indep pendent nation ns and territorries flourished over Ivalice, a rise in crime aand regional conflicts qu uickly began th hrowing smalle er communitiess into chaos. Too reduce the aamount of timee required by judicial pro ocess, a militaryy court was established ‐ the e Order of Judgges. They are th he supreme en nforcers of law w in the world o of Ivalice, wield ding extraordin nary power in ttheir own rightt over lower‐raanked citizens.. The higher ranking Judge Magisters function n as chief arbite ers and enforcers of Ivaliciann law. Almost all jjudges have th he supernaturaal ability to insttantly determinne the truthfullness of any staatement, makiing them nearlly impossible to lie to. A sample Judge is presen nted below. 216 CHAP PTER R VII: MA AGIC C “……..Y You can DO tha at?” -Tseng, FFV VII Magic is a ffundamental aand natural parrt of the world,, manifesting i n all things aniimate and inan nimate. The flo ow of magical energies is, as a w whole, essential to the plane et’s well‐being;; only so long aas the power o of the elementss is ow, the earth ccontinue to bee fertile, the cyycle of life and death remain unchecked can the wind continue to blo d. All of the wo orld's inhabitan nts, whether co onscious of it oor not, have so ome small partt of this force in nside unhindered them; with h training, it can be turned intto a weapon m more powerful than mere blaade or brawn, m more devastating than all the e world’s techn nologies. Crystalline items and form mations have b been found to be curiously of magic, able to focus, store e and even sympathetic to the flow o most renowned d of these are amplify nattural elementaal forces. The m the Elemen ntal Crystals, w whose powerful magical reserrvoirs can raise and d destroy nationss with equal eaase. Lesser crysstals, most merely a co onduit of the n natural magic that flows through the planet, are e in steady supp ply. Such itemss can be used ffor any number of purposes, from m powering machinery to pro oviding the de range of equ uipment and re ecovery items. raw ingredients for a wid wered gear is cconstructed byy binding the Most maagically‐empow rush of energy freed byy the destructio on of crystals into the item e creation proccess. More pow werful arms an nd armor may during the be maade of pure cryystal capable off absorbing and channel significantt amounts of m magical power. Raw magic can also temp porarily be capttured, often up pon the death of a creature. Such ‘froze en’ magic is the e reason behind items eated’ upon a m monster’s deatth, especially spontaneously being ‘cre those of arrcane origin succh as Bombs; vvirtually any fraagment of their bodie es can be used to unleash a small spark of o offensive fire spellcastingg. Even as it ssustains life, magic in turn cre eates its own e ecology, ranginng in scale from m the animal‐like Kami spiritss – who travel the streams o of magic like so o many schoolss of fish – to th e primitive eleementals, a creeature 'birthed' by large, conccentrated massses of elemental energy coming together inn one location.. Top of the pro overbial totem m pole are the Esp pers, known byy a million and one names throughout the uuniverse; such creatures werre birthed on aa plane of pure pow wer, connected to a world byy only the mosst tenuous of li nks, drawn intto material exisstence by the persuasive talents of sum mmoners or the eir own wande erlust. The environment, too, interacts with raaw flows of maagic, resonatingg where the elements are mo ost sympathettic. The heat of a volcano, for instance, can n tie together m many streams oof Fire Elemen ntal energy, creeating a reservoir of power favo orable to arcan ne creatures an nd spellcasters alike. Similarlyy, a lightning‐sstrike during a ferocious thundersto orm attracts Ligghtning Elemental energy; a torrential rainffall leads to the accumulation of Water elemental power. For tho ose who rely on the might of the elements,, careful consid deration of onee’ surroundinggs is an 217 important factor in effecttively shaping these energiess. These ‘Elemeental Fields’ haave been the d deciding factor in more than one battle. wildly in shape e and scope. W With sufficient ttraining or natu ural talent, maany Active wielders of magicaal power vary w people can n channel elemental flows intto their lives in n tiny ways, froom making the garden grow jjust a little largger, to knowing w when to fold in a game of card ds. Such people e are rarely aw ware of their ow wn talents. However, aa true Mage's ttalent lies in th heir ability to actively twist annd focus raw fllows of magic into physical, vvisible forms; darkk mists, freezin ng gales, howling storms and scorching wavves of fire, and d far more impressive feats. Paladins an nd Dark Knights are unique caasters – instead of channelinng the elementtal energies fro om the world around the em, they contain a reservoir o of spiritually‐aligned magic w within; sheer potential. TheEllementsofMagicc The compaartmentalizatio on and classificcation of magicc in its many annd diverse form ms has occupieed scholars for centuries; e even to this daay, the finer de etails of magicaal taxonomy caan be fuel for cconsiderable deebate. Certain aspects, ho owever, are considered to be e universally aggreed on. Amo ng them is thee fact that enerrgy is the basicc building‐block of magic; tthough furtherr diversified an nd refined, raw w energy itself ccan be used to o drive a wide vvariety ere, all magic can be broadly broken up into o nine elementtal subtypes. of helpful aand harmful efffects. From he The most ccommon of the ese are four basic elements – – Earth ‐ the esssence of soil aand rock, Fire –– the essence o of heat and flames, Wind – the essence off sky and move ement, and Waater – the esseence of liquid aand the oceanss – urn combine to o form the distiinctive Lightnin ng (electricity aand energy) an nd Ice (cold and frost). The which in tu collective ggrouping of the ese six elementts are inextricaably tied to nattural phenomeena. Holy, Shad dow, and None elemental magic completes the pantheon. though inclusiion of this last is a bone of ention for thosse who see maagic as supernaatural forces th han mundane conte force es. In some quaarters ‘nonelem mental’ is simp ply not consideered proper maagic at all, and simply excised from the rreckoning. With hout any doubtt, Holy is the doominating forcce in the magiccal world, and in expe erimental conditions, advanceed practitionerrs of the arcan ne have come tto the conclusion that the e name itself iss actually a bit of a misnomerr ‐ Holy, visuallly pure magical eenergy from the core seen as a bright flash of white lig ht, is actually p untainted by thhe color spectrrum of fire, earrth, wind, and tthe of Crreation itself, u like. Shadow, on th he other hand, is Holy magic that has becom me tainted or upted through various meanss. corru Holy and Shadow w magic are faar more rare th han the other vvenues of magical means, an nd are often trreated with an intrinsic level of respect. Rulesfo oreasyrefe erence. When you cast a spell, th he MP is only used when the spell is successsfully cast. If th he spell is interrrupted by a crritical al status condittion, a limit bre eak or a Knockkback, no MP iss spent – altho ough Job abilities may have b been hit, the Sea wasted. Alll magic has a M Medium Range unless noted d differently, an d never missess even the mosst evasive of fo oes. No attack rroll is needed u unless specified d otherwise, and magic can nnever criticallyy hit. 218 ElementtalAffinitie es Most creattures, weaponss, and relics haave an affinity tto a particular element. This means that they d draw strength ffrom that elem ment. Sometimess, a monster is so strongly aligned with a paarticular elemeent that it is imperviouss to harm from m that element,, or even grows stronger from m exposure to it. On the other h hand, such a m monster is often n at the mercy of the opposinng element. Ceertain accessoriess, equipment p properties, and d even job abiliities can also ggrant elementaal affinities to o player characcters. There are e five levels off elemental affiinities. Weakness means the tarrget takes doub ble damage fro om attacks of tthat element. e means the target takes an aadditional 50% % damage from m that element.. Vulnerable Resistance e means the tarrget takes onlyy half damage ffrom attacks oof that elementt. Immunity means the targget takes no daamage or effeccts from attackks of that elem ment. eans the targett takes no damage from attaccks of that elem ment, and instead Absorb me regains an amount of HP equal to half tthe damage rolled. Intuitive eMagic A Red Magge stands on the crown of a h hill, his crimson n hat rippling inn the wind as tthe sky overhead slowly clouds over. Below w, the village w watches the skiies with awe as the season's drought draws to a dramaticc conclusion. M Many miles awayy, a Black Mage e bends over th he pile of twigss and kindling, starting the party campfire w with a word an nd the slightest efffort of will. Me eanwhile, in th he depths of a sunken libraryy long lost to m mortal man, a B Blue Mage porees tirelessly over volume aftter volume of fforgotten lore,, the force of hher magic gently turning pagees that would o dust under th he pressure of h her fingers. Elssewhere, a Palaadin spends m many weeks cleansing an evil crumble to artifact, inffusing it with the powers of H Holy, never nee eding to rest oor sleep. Intuitive M Magic is exactly that; magic ussed outside of combat to perrform mundanee (and not‐so‐mundane) taskks. The usefuln ness of Intuitivve Magic is limiited by the cre eativity of the pplayer and the allowances byy the GM. Intuiitive magic performed by extremely high‐levvel characters sshould be likew wise powerful.. A White Magee could dam a river ould corrupt the same river, m making it poiso onous to drink. with a maggical wall, or a Dark Knight co . HowtoR ReadaSpellEntry Magic is laiid out in the fo ollowing format: Spell Name (- MP) Target: Sin ngle, Group, Se elf, Local, Globa al Type: Elem mental, Non-ele emental, Skill, Status, S Effect, Recovery R Reflectable e, Resistible Description n where the Type has no in‐ga me impact – itt merely allowss players to reaad the The target should be self‐explanatory, w e. If a spell inclu udes the phrasse ‘Reflectable’’ this denotes that the spell ccan be bounceed entries bettter at a glance around by the status effe ect Reflect. ‘Resistible’ denotes that the speell contains a sstatus effect, w which can be he spell succee eds at an oppo osed resistancee check – as alw ways, both the caster and thee nullified if tthe target of th target makke either a Forcce or a Finesse check, whiche ever is deemedd appropriate b by the GM (and d in many casees, argued is aappropriate by the player!) TThe description n of the spell coontains its dam mage and a rou ugh idea of how w the spell looks when cast. The latter can vary from characcter to charactter, as some mages have mad de stylistic cho oices w their spells ap ppear. about how 219 Black Magic NOVICE Blizzard (5 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Ice) Reflectable A flurry of high-speed ice particles are launched at the target, inflicting (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Ice damage to a single target, or (PWR x 1) + 2d6 points of Ice damage to all enemies. Thunder (5 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Lightning) Reflectable A brilliant bolt tears down from the sky, striking its mark with barely-contained energy. Thunder inflicts (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Lightning damage to the target, or (DEX x 2) + 2d6 points of Lightning damage to all enemies. Elemental Spikes (9 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Varies) The character is surrounded by globes of elemental energy. Declare which of five elements the Spikes will be tied to – Fire, Ice, Water, Wind, or Lightning – when casting this Spell. Anyone striking someone protected by Elemental Spikes will take (RES x 1) points of elemental damage. This damage is not reduced by M.ARM or Shell. Job abilities can be used to increase the damage steps of elemental spells, and Elemental Spikes last until the end of combat. Twilight (2 MP) Target: Local Type: Effect Torches and lanterns wink out, and a strange darkness creeps outwards, reducing the illumination in the area and turning the battlefield into Difficult Terrain. Bright, direct sunlight becomes shadowy and causes a -2 penalty to attack rolls for both enemies and allies alike. If the spell is cast in an environment that is already dark, the area becomes pitch black and all combatants are affected by the negative status effect Blind, which cannot be removed by other spells or items. The effects of the Twilight spell last for several turns. Fire (5 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Fire) Reflectable A burning sphere of fire rushes towards a chosen point, exploding on impact. Fire inflicts (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Fire damage to the target, or (PWR x 1) + 2d6 points of Fire damage to all enemies. Sleep (5 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible Clouds of light mist play around the target as an apparition of the moon appears overhead. If the target doesn’t resist the calming influence of the starlight softly showered over it, it becomes inflicted with the Sleep status ailment. Although Sleep ends if the target takes damage, this spell remains a powerful method of temporarily taking one foe out of the fight. Stone (5 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Earth) Reflectable Several large chunks of earth rise from the ground at the caster’s feet, then hurl themselves at a nearby foe with surprising force. Stone inflicts (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Earth damage to the target, or (PWR x 2) + 2d6 points of Earth damage to all enemies. Water (5 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Water) Reflectable Water begins to filter out of the air, forming a solid ball around the target that lifts it off the ground before bursting in a shower of liquid. Water inflicts (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Water damage to the target, or (PWR x 1) + 2d6 points of Water damage to all enemies. Poison (6 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible A frothing cloud of sickly violet bubbles pour over the target with suffocating force, dealing (PWR x 1) points of Shadow damage and inflicting them with Poison if they fail their resistance roll. Hex (8 MP) Target: Special Type: Elemental (Shadow) Resistible By casting this loathsome spell the mage can induce natural illness or weakness. Normally this spell targets only a single character, but by casting it on a city’s food or water supply it can affect multiple targets. It can cause a healthy individual to become bed-ridden with a hacking cough, or a target already suffering a serious illness to suddenly worsen or even die. In combat, a Humanoid who fights with Hex suffers various penalties. In the first round the target is afflicted with Hex, they suffer a -1 penalty to their ACC and AVD scores. In the second round, this penalty remains and they also have a 25% chance to fall unconscious whenever they make a Slow action. In the third round and onward, the chance to fall unconscious occurs whenever they make a Standard action as well. Hex can only be removed with the Healing skill or white magic. 220 INTERMEDIATE Blizzara (20 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Ice) Reflectable The air around the target condenses to freezing point in an instant, encasing it in a towering spire of ice. Blizzara inflicts (PWR x 5) + 2d6 points of Ice damage to the target, or (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Ice damage to all enemies. Fira (20 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Fire) Reflectable A furious explosion tears through the air as a column of incandescent fire erupts under the target. Fira inflicts (PWR x 5) + 2d6 points of Fire damage to the target, or (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Fire damage to all enemies. Bio (35 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible Virulent green orbs begin to bubble out of the ground, quickly overwhelming the area with a deadly puddle of toxins. Bio inflicts (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage to the target and inflicts the negative status effect Poison if they fail their resistance roll. Unlike normal Poison, this does not wear off after several rounds and must be cured with a spell or item. Drain (25 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Shadow) Blood-red orbs circle the target, growing larger and more livid as they draw out the very essence of the target's life; once full, the orbs return to the caster, releasing their payload of stolen vitality on contact. Drain inflicts (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Shadow damage to the target, and the caster regains a number of Hit Points equal to the amount lost by the target. Melt (25 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect Reflectable This powerful and unique spell allows the caster to channel white-hot heat into an inanimate object – usually armor – and render it twisted and worthless until the magick ends. If cast on a weapon or other held object, Melt deals (PWR x 2) + 2d6 points of Fire damage to the item’s holder every round until the spell ends, or until the item is dropped. If cast on armor, in addition to the damage taken each round, the target’s ARM score is reduced to zero as fabrics ignite and metal becomes fragile. Melt lasts for a total of three rounds, and is therefore incredibly useful to neutralize foes with high physical defenses. Regardless if the spell is effective – or even if it is reflected or otherwise negated – the caster of Melt deals themselves (PWR x 2) + 2d6 points of Fire damage due to the incredible heat channeled by this spell. Melt cannot be re-cast on the same target until the effects have worn off. Aspir (1 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Shadow) Orbs of blinding pink energy form around the target, growing larger and more luminous as they draw magical energies from the target; once full, the orbs return to the caster, transferring the stolen energy upon contact. Aspir destroys (PWR x 1) + 2d6 points of the target’s MP, and the caster regains a number of Magic Points equal to the amount lost by the target. Thundara (20 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Lightning) Reflectable An electric-blue thunderbolt crashes into the ground, creating a deadly array of ball lightning to encircle the target. Thundara inflicts (PWR x 5) + 2d6 points of Lightning damage to the target, or (DEX x 4) + 2d6 points of Lightning damage to all enemies. Stona (20 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Earth) Reflectable Fingers of stone burst forth from the ground, snatching shut around the target in a shower of flying stones and dirt before shattering. Stona inflicts (PWR x 5) + 2d6 points of Earth damage to the target, or (PWR x 4) + 2d6 points of Earth damage to all enemies. Zombie (20 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible The target is swallowed by a wave of miasmic green smoke – when the haze clears, their eyes are dead and their words are slurred. This spell applies the negative status effect Zombie to the target and reduces their M.ARM score to zero until the status effect is removed. Watera (20 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Water) Reflectable The ground buckles and cracks as a column of water erupts, violently immersing an enemy before dispersing again. Watera inflicts (PWR x 5) + 2d6 points of Water damage to the target, or (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Water damage to all enemies. 221 EXPERT Blizzaga (40 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental (Ice) Reflectable Particles of frost and snow accelerate towards the target, rapidly sealing it in layer after layer of solid ice before the entire edifice shatters. Blizzaga inflicts (PWR x 6) + 2d6 points of Ice damage to all enemies. Firaga (40 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental (Fire) Reflectable A colossal sphere of white-hot fire crashes onto the target, sparking a furious explosion that engulfs it in a cloud of ash and cinders. Firaga inflicts (PWR x 6) + 2d6 points of Fire damage to all enemies. Stonaga (40 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental (Earth) Reflectable An enormous stalagmite rips through the ground beneath the feet of the foes, impaling them on razor-sharp blades of rock. Stonaga inflicts (PWR x 7) + 2d6 points of Earth damage to all enemies. Arise (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect This spell is shunned by white mages and many other individuals as one of the darker Black Magicks. The caster is capable of raising a recently-deceased creature of any size or race as a loyal undead servant of equal level as the caster. The creature does not retain any of their old attributes, skill, abilities or the like except for the Large monster property, if they had it, and instead uses the a default monster stat block found in the end of this book. The monster raised is normally a Skeleton, but level 10+ casters might get a Varuna instead. The undead lacks all free will and memories of their old life, and if not given specific orders, prefer to attempt to use Teamwork Attacks with the caster that raised them. Creatures without bones (such as Cactuar, flans, and beings composed entirely of magic) cannot be raised with this ability. Sleepaga (40 MP) Target: Group Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible The air is suddenly filled with a strange fragrance, compelling entire groups of otherwise vicious foes to let their guard down, and rest a moment…. All targets in the enemy Group are affected by the negative status effect Sleep. Thundaga (40 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental (Lightning) Reflectable A deafening peal of thunder rolls across the battlefield as lightning bolt after lightning bolt crashes to earth, trapping all targets in a sizzling sphere of electrical energy before dissipating again. Thundaga inflicts (PWR x 6) + 2d6 or (DEX x 8) + 2d6 points of Lightning damage to all enemies. Wateraga (40 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental (Water) Reflectable Winding streams of airborne water race towards all targets, quickly enclosing them in an immense liquid dome before dissolving into a foaming tidal wave. Wateraga inflicts (PWR x 6) + 2d6 points of Water damage to all enemies. Rasp (Special) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Shadow) Inexorably drawn by the lure of magical power, translucent spheres of violet energy spiral in towards the target, sapping the target’s energies before rushing away. The target’s MP is reduced by the same amount used to cast the spell. Death (100 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible A decaying, hooded figure emerges from the ground in a cloud of dark smoke, raising a massive scythe to cleave the target’s life force in twain before fading away with a blood-curdling laugh. The target’s HP is reduced to zero. This spell does not work on bosses. If the spell is resisted or otherwise has no effect, the target instead suffers (PWR x 8) + 2d6 points of Shadow damage. Berserk (40 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible The caster fills their target’s mind with thoughts of hatred and fury, attempting to release the beast within. The target is affected by the negative status effects Berserk. This spell cannot be resisted if the target is already showing signs of anger. Curse (40 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible A sinister black circle materializes under the target, streaming multi-colored lights and gasses before winking shut. The negative status effect Curse is applied to the target. 222 SUPERIOR X-Zone (40 MP) Target: Single, Special Type: Effect Even as Summoners seek to unite the lifestream and overlap the magical realms with our own, Black Mages angrily confront the very notion. At least one mage’s intense dislike for the powerful beings known as Espers was enough that a spell was crafted with no purpose other than to banish the ‘abominations’ of summoned creatures back to their home plane. The target of X-Zone – who must be an Esper or a being from the Farplane or Void - is instantly reduced to 0 hit points and removed from the current combat. Effects that the target may possess – such as Auto-Life or Indestructible – will not allow the Esper or creature to remain in combat after X-Zone is used, or summoned again in the same game session. X-Zone can be cast at a Long Range and has no effect against bosses. Flare (100 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental Reflectable Globes of pure magical energy blast into the target in a relentless stream, setting off one chaotic explosion after another before rushing out again. Flare inflicts (PWR x 12) + 2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage to a single enemy. Flare can be cast at a Long Range. Scourge (100 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental (Shadow) A long shadow creeps over the ground, darkening the area as wicked spikes of unholy energy burst through to skewer all targets. Scourge inflicts (PWR x 9) + 2d6 points of Shadow damage to all enemies; for each enemy this spell deals damage to, the caster also suffers (PWR x 1) points of Shadow damage that ignores M.ARM. Doomsday (80 MP) Target: Group Type: Status Supreme Resist (20) The sky darkens and black clouds roil above, and silentlyscreaming faces protrude from the sky like boils on creation. There is no initial effect – however, in three rounds, the HP of all affected enemies is reduced to zero, regardless of current Hit Points, ARM, or M.ARM. If the spell is resisted or ineffective due to the target being a Boss or similar, in three rounds the targets instead suffer (PWR x 8) + 2d6 or (MND x 8) + 2d6 points of Shadow damage. Freeze (80 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Ice) Reflectable Chilly vapors float over the battlefield as fragments of blue ice cascade down on the target, forming a jagged, glacial prison to imprison it entirely. Freeze inflicts (PWR x 11) + 2d6 points of Ice damage to a single enemy and automatically inflicts the Stop status with no opposed roll if the target suffers damage. Malediction (150 MP) Target: Local Type: Status Malediction inflicts a terrible curse over all living things in a vast area, such as a town. Spend one point of Destiny and choose one status effect upon casting this spell - Charm, Petrify, Sleep, Stop, Stun and Zombie are all popular choices – and designate one area on the world within a Long Range to suffer the effects of this wicked magick. All harmless inhabitants of that area are immediately afflicted by your chosen status effect with no opposed resistance roll, and the status effect has no fixed duration – it can last up to decades. The effects of Malediction can only be broken in one of three ways; First, any individual suffering from it’s effects may break free from the status by spending a point of Destiny, though this is rarely a solution for innocent villagers. Secondly, the caster of Malediction can reverse its effects at any time, or finally, the death of the caster lifts the spell. Nuke (80 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Fire) Reflectable Fueled by the caster’s desperation, spheres of flame are hurled towards the target – the foe is engulfed in an ever-growing explosion with the heat and fury of a newborn star. Nuke inflicts (PWR x 8) + 2d6 points of Fire damage to a single enemy. Nuke’s damage is increased by four steps if the caster has 50% or less of their maximum MP. Quake (80 MP) Target: Local Type: Elemental (Earth) A violent tremor tears through the length of the battlefield, breaking up the ground into shuddering, crumbling fragments and yawning crevasses. Quake inflicts (PWR x 12) + 2d6 points of Earth damage to all enemies and allies. Virus (70 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Supreme Resist (20) The caster infects his target with a sinister disease, filling the enemy’s bloodstream with a living, deadly bacteria. Enemies afflicted with this plague are unable to recover their HP or MP scores or receive healing of any kind, whether from limit breaks, attacks, abilities, spells or items. Virus wears off in four rounds as normal, but is not a true status effect. It can, however, be removed with Esuna. Thunderstorm (150 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental Reflectable The skies churn with black clouds before a torrent of rain drenches all combatants, gust-caught leaves signaling the arrival of a dangerous storm. Thunderstorm deals (PWR x 7) + 2d6 or (DEX x 8) + 2d6 points of Lightning or Water damage, whichever is more effective, to all enemies. Using Thunderstorm transforms the current area into an Elemental Field – either Lightning or Water, of the caster’s choice – and any Elemental (Lightning) or Elemental (Water) spell may be cast as a Standard action instead of a Slow action as long as the elemental field persists. 223 ANCIENT Meltdown (2 250 MP) Target: Single ental (Fire) Type: Eleme Reflectable d stream of heat and energy assa ails all enemies, A high-speed immersing th hem in furious, bone-searing temperatures. Meltdown infflicts (PWR x 18)) + 2d6 points of Fire or nonelemental da amage (whicheve er is more effectiive) to an entire Group, and is unaffected by M.ARM and She ell. Scathe (150 0 MP) Target: Sing le ental (Shadow) Type: Eleme An agglomerration of shadow wy energy flashess into existence a above the battlefiel d, gathering into o the shape of an n enormous spike e nning its descentt to earth. Scathe e crackles with before begin malevolent e energy as it crash hes down, inflictiing (PWR x 24) + 2d6 points of Sha adow damage to o one enemy. Ultima (Special rules) up Target: Grou Type: Non-e elemental An eerie calm m falls over the battlefield b as the sky grows dark, shading the combatants in bllue and black. Only one sound n gaining in pitch p as a dome breaks the silence; a single note, i the sky above the caster, of purest blue energy forms in growing outw wards in an unsto oppable, destruc ctive rush that engulfs the area a whole. The Black Mage becomes a conduit for the powe er of Ultima, the catastrophic c spell radiating outwards fro om him. The soun nd reaches ear-s splitting frequencies, and all of existe ence within the sp phere begins to ecule, every atom m within the implode on ittself .Every mole reach of Ultim ma detonates at the speed of ligh ht, before Ultima finally flickerrs out of existenc ce and leaves the e shattered landscape sttill once more. Th his is a spell spo oken of in hushed d whispers. It is i a power capab ble of destroying continents, of shattering sttars. It is not to be used lightly. The casting of Ultima require es the Black Mag ge to have maximum MP, all of which is spent upon castting this spell. ests the expenditu ure of 3 additiona al points of It also reque Destiny – tho ough this is not strictly s REQUIRE ED, choosing not to pay the 3 Destiny for this spell s will cause itt to become a d of Group spell, and thus deal damage not only Local instead to the enemy y group, but also o to the caster, all allies, and every creature and structure for hundreds of miles. Ultima deals s (PWR x 50) + 2d6 points of Non n-Elemental damage to all a foes. Heat bey yond description rips through living entities s, disintegrating flesh f and bone in nstantly. Death caused in this way is painless and instantane eous. d is dealt to all structures, If used as a Local spell, the damage l creatures in a 500-mile radius. This is terrain, and living damage eno ough to destroy entire e cities, and leave the ground d barren and liifeless for decades, if not centurie es, to follow. The e devastation caused by an un ncontrolled Ultima a is unrivaled and globally feared. M Break (150 MP) Target: Single ental (Earth) Type: Eleme Reflectable, Resistible get explodes in a seismic The ground beneath the targ ocky spires. The target takes nightmare off dust, soil and ro (PWR x 18) + 2d6 points of Earth E damage. Then, if the spell sted, the negativ ve status effect Petrify P is applied was not resis to the target – and finally, the ere’s a 50% chan nce that the violent shakiing will have shattered the now-stone combatant, reducing the e target to 0 HP in nstantly if they are not Immune to o Petrify. 224 White Magic NOVICE Banish (10 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Holy) Beams of white light radiate from the caster’s outstretched hands, basking the area in a flickering white light. Banish inflicts (PWR x 5) + 2d6 points of Holy damage to an Undead target – all other foes do not take damage. In addition, casting this spell on an Undead removes their Undying ability until the start of that creature’s next turn. This creates a small window of opportunity where, if the normally-immortal corpse is reduced to 0 hit points, it is destroyed utterly and permanently. Cure (7 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery Reflectable Small, glittering particles of light twinkle down upon the target, filling their lungs and bathing their wounds in white. Cure restores (MND x 2) + 2d6 points of HP to any conscious target. Dia (7 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental, Holy Reflectable Pinpricks of white light circle the target rapidly, blasting away with tiny beams of light for a moment before dissipating. Dia inflicts (PWR x 2) + 2d6 points of Holy damage, and removes magically-granted Invisibility and natural Stealth from the enemy, as it is now dimly outlined with a white glow. Foes who have taken damage from the Dia spell cannot successfully make Stealth rolls until the end of combat. Stop (4 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible The joints of the target bend and lock suddenly, leaving the target unable to move. While definitely uncomfortable, the paralyzing effects of this spell are completely painless and cause no lasting damage. The target is affected by the negative status effect Stop. Poisona (3 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery By concentrating for a moment, the caster is able to neutralize the poisons and venoms within the body. The target is no longer affected by the negative status effect Poison. Although some truly potent poisons are unaffected by this spell, it remains a tried-and-true favorite amongst adventurers everywhere. It’s also great for getting rid of hangovers. Ruse (4 MP) Target: Self Type: Status The caster’s outline shimmers and blurs, making it difficult to determine their exact location. The caster of Ruse gains a +2 bonus to AVD until combat ends. If the character is at 50% HP or less when this spell is cast, the bonus granted by Ruse is increased to +4 instead. Aero (8 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Wind) Reflectable Gale-force winds slam into the target, the first of a very unique set of offensive White Magic spells. Aero inflicts (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Wind damage to the target, or (PWR x 1) + 2d6 points of Wind damage to all enemies. Vox (3 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery Reflectable There are few things more vulnerable than a mage unable to cast – this simple (if oddly-named) spell prevents that. The target is no longer affected by the negative status effect Seal and Curse and gains an immunity to those status effects for the remainder of combat. Chivalry (1 MP) Target: Party Type: Effect The caster of Chivalry is the last line of defense for her allies, holding even the most vicious and vile foes at bay while her comrades escape. Upon casting Chivalry, all willing party members and allies other than the caster are instantly removed from combat and returned to the nearest safe location, as if they performed an Escape action successfully. They may not re-engage in the same encounter. If the caster of Chivalry defeats the remaining opponents, all party members – even those who did not participate in the encounter – gain experience points, items and gil as normal. Faith (15 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect Proving once and for all that faith in one’s own abilities is the key to success, the caster’s unwavering belief in her comrades allows them to instill one friend with self-confidence and conviction. The target of Faith receives an automatic +2 bonus to his next skill check, opposed roll, or attack. You may only have the Faith spell active on one party member at any given time. Blessing (10 MP) Target: Special Type: Status You bestow your strengths upon another. Casting Blessing causes the character to lose the benefit of one positive status effect they currently possess and instead grant that same status effect to two allies of their choice. Blessing fails if the status effect in question is granted by an Auto-status, such as Auto-Haste. 225 INTERMEDIATE Escape (10 MP) Target: Party Type: Effect Acting as a short-range teleport, this spell allows the party to exit dungeons with convenient swiftness. The spell returns all party members to the last safe location on or near the surface. This magick also doubles as a way to safely flee dangerous combat, as casting will instantly end combat and return the likely-wounded characters to the nearest safe resting location. Aerora (30 MP) Target: Single or Group Type: Elemental (Wind) Reflectable A tempest storm throws foes around, buffeting their bodies with nonlethal force. Aerora inflicts (PWR x 5) + 2d6 points of Wind damage to one target, or (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Wind damage to all enemies. Shell (40 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible A semi-translucent, multifaceted sphere of pale light encases an ally, protecting them from the brunt of hostile magical attacks. Shell bestows the effects of the positive status Shell on one target. All magical damage they take (after M.ARM is calculated) is halved. This effect lasts until combat ends. Wall (20 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect The user of this spell is capable of forming a shimmering barrier of magical force, strong enough to deflect and absorb most projectile attacks. All attacks made against the target of a Wall spell from a Medium Range or Long Range away are negated. Short Range attacks are unaffected, and the spell ends if the Walled character is ever the target of a Critical Hit or Limit Break, regardless of distance. This spell is not a status effect and cannot be removed with Dispel or similar methods. Cura (30 MP) Target: Single or Party Type: Recovery Reflectable Droplets of astral light seem to fall from the skies, mending injuries and closing wounds instantly. Cura restores (MND x 5) + 2d6 points of HP to any conscious target, or (MND x 2) + 2d6 points of HP to all conscious allies. Seal (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible Near-invisible bands of force clasp around the target’s limbs and mouth, making it impossible to use abilities or spells. The target is affected with the negative status effect Seal. Consecrate (10 MP) Target: Local Type: Effect Consecrated ground, blessed with holy energy, naturally repels monsters and other hostile individuals for short periods of time. Though some foes are unaffected by Consecrate, lesser enemies will find it difficult to pass onto the sacred ground, and it will become possible for a party to rest there undisturbed until the spell ceases with little fear of random monster attacks in the night. The effects of this spell last until the caster leaves the consecrated ground, and do not repel Notorious Monsters, Bosses, or creatures with a resistance (or better) to Holy. Life (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery A smiling cherubim descends from the heavens and basks an unconscious ally in a golden glow – no matter how close to their demise the target may have been, they find themselves whisked safely from the brink of death. This spell may only be cast on Short Range allies with 0 HP or less, and it returns them to 1 HP. Temper (15 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Temper empowers an ally’s attacks with barely-contained magic. Runes appear down the length of their weapon, and dull metal and wood equipment begins to shimmer with a celestial light. The target of this spell deals an additional damage step with all physical attacks until the end of combat. Resonance (25 MP) Target: Self Type: Status A recursive ring of light swirls about your body that lets out a low, echoing note whenever an enemy wounds you. Whenever the caster of Resonance takes damage from a enemy’s physical attack, their attacker suffers (RES x 2) points of M.ARM damage and the character regains (MND x 2) points of health as Regeneration. The next time the character is struck, these values are both increased by one step; for example, the fifth time that Resonance activates in a single encounter, the attacker would suffer (RES x 6) damage and the character would regain (MND x 6) HP. These damage and healing step values may not exceed the character’s level, and Resonance fades at the end of combat. Protect (40 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible A barricade of blue light explodes into existence in front of an ally, gleaming brightly. Protect bestows the effects of the positive status Protect on one target. All physical damage they take (after ARM is calculated) is halved. This effect lasts until combat ends. 226 EXPERT Curaga (60 MP) Target: Single or Party Type: Recovery Reflectable Twelve pearls of softly-glowing silver light enclose allies in twinned hexagons, restoring (MND x 8) + 2d6 points of HP to any conscious target, or (MND x 5) + 2d6 points of HP to all conscious allies. Aeroga (60 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental (Wind) Reflectable A hurricane-like blast of air is launched from the outstretched hands of the caster, quickly turning into a cyclone that sweeps through the area. Aeroga inflicts (PWR x 6) + 2d6 points of Wind damage to all enemies. Brave (30 MP) Target: Party Type: Status The caster fills her allies’ hearts with hope, rendering them Immune to the negative status effect Fear until combat ends. Addle (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible Another attempt by White Mages at combat aggressiveness, Addle affects both the body and mind of an enemy in order to cause them to react slower to attacks. Upon casting Addle, one target’s AVD score suffers a stackable -2 penalty. A foe’s Avoid score can never drop to less than 0, and the effects of Addle last until the end of combat. If a target is reduced to 0 AVD or less by this spell, they also take (RES x 15) + 2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage as their joints stiffen and muscles seize up. Restore (100 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery Reflectable A pillar of faint holy energy illuminates the ground around the fallen friend, helping them to return to their feet as if carried aloft by invisible hands. One unconscious target recovers (MND x 4) + 2d6 points of HP and may battle alongside his companions once more. Reflect (40 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Heroic Resist (17) A shower of green light splashes over the target, solidifying into layer after layer of shimmering magical protection. This powerful spell creates an anti-magic barrier around a target and grants them the effects of Reflect until combat ends. Transform (10 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible The caster of Transform can physically alter the appearance of her enemies or allies, temporarily forcing them into bodies unfamiliar to them. It might help the party Thief sneak past the palace guards by transforming them into a nimble squirrel, or shrink down even the most colossal of creatures to the size of an enraged pig. A single target is either cured of, or afflicted with, the Transform status. Transformed targets deal only half damage with physical attacks, and take an additional 50% damage for the duration, but gain a +2 bonus to skill checks in which their new form might useful. Inanimate objects cannot be affected by this spell. Freedom (10 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery This simple and intuitive spell is able to restore someone who has been turned to stone or otherwise unable to move. The target is no longer affected by the negative status effects Petrify, Stop, or Stun. Regen (50 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery Reflectable, Resistible Wounds mend, injuries knit, and bones re-set extremely rapidly with this powerful spell. The target receives the positive status effect Regen, recovering 20% of their max hit points at the end of each of their turns. This spell has no effect on Unconscious targets. Teleport (100 MP) Target: Party Type: Effect Much like Escape, Teleport can take the entire party great distances in the blink of an eye. This is subject to a few important restrictions. First, the party cannot be in combat when this spell is cast. Second, the location can be anywhere in the world, so long as the caster has been there within the last several months and is familiar with the location. Third, the spell will fail if the location is extremely dangerous, such as submerged under lava or overrun by monsters. Finally, Teleport can only transport the party to geographical locations, never to an object or person. Confuse (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible This spell allows the caster to blur the mental line between friend and foe – a single target is afflicted with the Confuse status. 227 SUPERIOR Curaja (150 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery Reflectable The most powerful of the standard curative spells, invoking this magic surrounds the group with globes of sapphire iridescence that mend even the most grievous of wounds. Curaja restores (MND x 8) + 2d6 points of HP to all conscious allies. Haste (90 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Heroic Resist (17) A six-faceted crystal of pure energy appears around the target, shattering in a brilliant confusion of mirror images. The target moves faster than he ever has before thanks to this spell and receives the effects of Haste until combat ends. Tornado (70 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental (Wind) Reflectable A maelstrom of hurricane-force winds touch down, convalescing into a vortex of localized destruction. While some magic is notable for collateral damage, Tornado is surprising and unique in this fashion. Despite the massive injuries it can cause to foes, the windstorm doesn’t even uproot a single blade of grass or concern a single creature other than its intended targets. Tornado inflicts (PWR x 8) + 2d6 points of Wind damage to all foes. Barrier (100 MP) Target: Group Type: Effect A stronger version of the Wall spell, evoking the magic of Barrier creates an impenetrable shield of light around the user and all allies. Barrier negates all damage and effects from all Medium Range and Long Range attacks against the party. A Critical Hit or Limit Break will end a Barrier spell before damage is calculated, but the spell is not a status effect and cannot be Dispelled or removed with similar methods. Auto-Life (130 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery Reflectable, Resistible White magic teaches not only to mend wounds, but also to begin the healing process even before the injuries are inflicted. The target receives the positive status effect Auto-Life, returning them to 1 HP Instantly as soon as a spell or effect would reduce them to 0 or less. If Auto-Life is cast on an Undead or Zombied foe, they are immediately reduced to 0 HP instead of the usual effect with a successful resistance check. Dispel (80 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Resistible A shimmering blue mist engulfs the target, its power tearing away beneficial enchantments in an instant. With a successful opposed roll, Dispel removes all the following effects from a single target; Protect, Shell, Haste, Auto-Life, Reflect, Invisible, Regen, and Flight. Diaga (80 MP) Target: Group Type: Elemental, Holy Reflectable Thousands of iridescent sparks launch into the enemy group like enraged fireflies, leaving behind a shimmering silver glow. Diaga deals (PWR x 7) + 2d6 points of Holy damage to all enemies and removes magically-granted Invisibility and natural Stealth from all affected enemies. Foes who have taken damage from the Diaga spell cannot successfully make Stealth rolls or gain the effects of the Invisible status until the end of combat. Aura (150 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery Reflectable, Heroic Resist (17) Spheres of white light surround and imbue the target, filling them with strength and granting the ability to stand against even the most powerful of fiends. The target regains 20% of their maximum hit points every round as a Regeneration effect. Though this spell has no effect on Unconscious targets, it can be used in conjunction with the Regen status effect to cause a target to regain 40% of their maximum health each round instead. Aura lasts until combat ends, and cannot be removed with Dispel as it is not considered to be a status effect. Armistice (70 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect Resistible With little more than a touch, even the most wicked of venomdripping blades and twisted armaments of evil become utterly harmless, forcefully infused with enough white magic that they could serve as a child’s toy. The weapon sparkles with snowy light, its bladed edges dull until they’re rounded, and even seems to emanate a peaceful aura. Casting this spell on a target permanently grants all of their equipped weapons the Therapeutic property and cause such weapons to deal damage as though they were Tier 1 instead. Tetra (40 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect Choose four common elements from the following list; Fire, Ice, Wind, Water, Lightning, and Earth. The target of the Tetra spell gains a Resistance to those elements until the end of combat. 228 ANCIENT Full-Life (30 00 MP) Target: Party y Type: Recov very All living allie es – even charac cters with 0 or les ss HP - are returrned to maximum health upon the casting of this spell. Though Fullental status effec cts, it is nonetheless Life does not remove detrime m powerful spe ells in any healerr’s arsenal. one of the most P) Lux (150 MP Target: Grou up Type: Status s Reflectable es three of the most powerful White Magic spells, Lux combine granting all allies a the positive e status effects Regen, R Protect an nd Shell. These e statuses last un ntil the end of the e game session. Holy (200 0 MP) Target: S ingle emental (Holy) Type: Ele Reflectab ble Spheres o of white energy d descend from the e heavens before e spinning a around the foe q quickly. These pe earls of light encapsula ate the target in light, humming sslowly and musiccally. Then the heavens part an nd a brilliant blast of energy searss into them, burrning their retinass with pure Holy energy and evaporati ng sinful flesh an nd bone. oly damage to a ssingle Holy dealls (MND x 28) + 2 2d6 points of Ho foe. 229 Blue Magic NOVICE Goblin Bomb (3 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental The caster conjures forth a black metallic sphere topped with a lit fuse. It explodes instantly, dealing (PWR x 4) + 2d6 points of M.ARM Fire damage unless the target is of a lower level than the caster. In such a situation, the attack inflicts (PWR x 8) +2d6 damage instead. There is a 25% chance that Goblin Bomb will explode prematurely, dealing damage to the caster of this spell as well as the intended target. Web Armor (10 MP) Target: Self Type: Status Strands of thin, translucent material wrap themselves around the caster's arms and legs, giving the caster Protect and Stop for as many rounds as the Blue Mage chooses to keep the spell active. If the Stop status effect is removed or the target is Immune to Stop, the Protect also fades. Self-Destruct (1 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental The caster instantly converts their life force into explosive energy, creating a cataclysmic blast that rips through the enemy for a number of points of M.ARM Fire damage equal to 25% of the caster’s maximum Hit Points. After damage has been resolved, the Caster is automatically reduced to 0 HP and cannot be revived until combat ends. Choco Ball (4 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental Reflectable A crackling sphere of yellow energy is launched at the target with a single, high-pitched note of kweeeeeeeeeh, inflicting (MND x Half Level) + 2d6 points of non-elemental damage. The caster and one ally of their choice each regain HP equal to the total amount of damage dealt by Choco Ball. Pollen (5 MP) Target: Single Type: Recovery A light dust drifts around the group, which is inhaled to leave the target slightly refreshed. Pollen restores (MND x Half Level) + 2d6 HP and MP to one target, but cannot be used on the caster. Seed Cannon (8 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Earth) The caster tenses up before firing a heavy seed pod, pummeling the target. (Where the seed comes from is up for dispute by sages everywhere. Seed Cannon inflicts (PWR x 4) + 2d6 points of Earth damage. Blank Gaze (20 MP) Target: Single Type: Status The target stares into his target’s soul, eliminating magical protection with the power of the Evil Eye. Blank Gaze automatically removes one random beneficial magic effect from an enemy with no resistance roll, and their M.ARM score is reduced to zero until the end of the caster’s turn. Laser Eyes (25 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental Reflectable Brilliant beams of energy pulse from the caster's eyes, slashing into the target for (PWR x 5) + 2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage. Monsters that have the Unusual Defense ability do not reduce this damage. Revenge (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental A wave of invisible force crashes into the target. For every 2 points of HP the Blue Mage is missing from their maximum health, the target takes 1 point of damage. This is not reduced by M.ARM or Shell. Homing Laser (7 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental Reflectable, Resistible A salvo of searing laser beams arcs out of the caster’s body and blasts the target in a spectacular series of explosions. Homing Laser deals (PWR x 3) + 2d6 Non-Elemental damage and causes the Confusion status with a successful opposed roll if the target has 50% or fewer HP remaining. Frog Song (20 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Resistible The Blue Mage hums, sings or ribbits a haunting melody, a song with its roots in the oldest of curses. Frog Song afflicts a Humanoid or Beast listener with the negative status effects Transform and Seal, transmuting them into a harmless green amphibian no more than a few inches tall. Flash (7 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental Resistible The caster creates a sudden explosion of searing phosphorescent light, inflicting (DEX x 3) + 2d6 damage to one enemy and inflicting the target with the negative status effect Blind for one round with a successful opposed roll. Poison Breath (6 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Resistible A morass of multicolored toxins is exhaled in a sickly plume. The target is affected by Poison, and the caster gains a +2 bonus on the opposed resist roll to apply this status effect. 230 SUPERIOR Ultrawaves (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental Purple waves of ultrasonic energy ripple from the caster’s body, inflicting (MND x 8) + 2d6 damage. Then make a resistance check to see if the enemy is also Confused. The caster may choose to also be afflicted by Confuse to gain a +4 bonus to this roll. Condemned (50 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental Reflectable A cackling red skull appears over the target before slowly fading away. The foe receives the effects of the negative status effect Curse. This spell cannot be resisted. Thrust Kick (80 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental Resistible The caster launches into an athletic flying kick, surrounded by a faint nimbus of energy as they slam into their target with a sound barrier-breaking crash. Thrust Kick deals (PWR x 5) + 2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage – then, the caster and the target make an opposed Force check. If the caster is successful, the target is knocked back a Medium Range – directly upwards. In addition to effectively removing the target from combat for one round as if the target was afflicted by Stun, characters that are not immune to falling damage (from the Defy Gravity ability or Flight, for example) lose 50% of their maximum HP upon colliding with the ground again on the following turn. 1,000 Needles (100 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental One thousand stinging cactus thorns are shot from the caster’s body, turning one unfortunate target into a panicking pincushion. Roll 2d6 when this spell is cast; on any result other than a critical success, 1,000 Needles inflicts 100 Non-Elemental points of damage to the target; Shell, Unusual Defense, and M. ARM and ARM have no effect on this damage. If the attack roll results in a critical success instead (a roll of 12 on the 2d6), 1,000 damage is inflicted instead of the normal 100. This spell cannot reduce a target lower than 1 HP and may break the standard damage cap per round of 999. Electrocute (60 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Lightning) Reflectable The caster hovers in mid-air, acting as a living conduit as green bolts of electrical energy blast through the air to devastating effect. Each round until combat ends or the caster chooses to end the spell, the user of Electrocute and one target of his choice are struck for (DEX x 7) + 2d6 Lightning damage. If Electrocute is ever made into Group spell, it affects all enemies and allies instead. Drill Shot (40 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental The caster of Drill Shot may immediately make a manly attack as an Instant action, which ignores ARM, Protect, and all other forms of damage reduction, calculates damage with PWR or RES, and can target opponents up to a Medium Range away. Flamethrower (20 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Fire) Reflectable The caster releases a blistering stream of fire from their mouth or fingers, scorching their intended target for (PWR x 7) + 2d6 Fire damage. Lv.? Doom (80 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable Ghostly, fog-colored skulls materialize above the enemy, letting out a haunting laugh before fading out. When you cast this spell, roll 1d6. Lv.? Doom only affects targets whose Level is a multiple of the number you rolled, though rolling a 1 therefore means that all targets are affected. There is no initial effect – however, in 3 rounds, the HP of a target affected by Lv.? Doom is reduced to zero, regardless of current Hit Points, ARM, or M.ARM. If the target is immune to instant death, in 3 rounds they suffer (PWR x 20) + 2d6 points of Shadow or non-elemental damage instead, whichever is more effective. Aqua Rake (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Water) Reflectable The Blue Mage releases a blast of hurricane force wind that engulfs their a foe as it carries with it a barrage of water bubbles that explode upon touching anything, damaging one enemy for (PWR x 4) + 2d6 Water damage and (PWR x 4) + 2d6 Wind damage. Angel Snack (40 MP) Target: Single Type: Status A cascade of sparkling blue stars showers down, negating all the magical protectives of a single target. Angel’s Snack dispels all Status Conditions, beneficial or otherwise. Further, the target takes (MND x 4) + 2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage for every status effect removed in this fashion. Degenerator (80 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect Reflectable, Resistible The caster emits a single burst of black energy that all but rips the life energy of out its target. Each time the target casts a spell they lose 10% of their maximum MP, and each time they attack they lose 10% of their maximum HP. The effects of this dreadful spell last until the end of the game session. 231 ANCIENT Wall Change (50 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect A shimmering globe of energy encloses the target, cycling through a series of colors and hues before vanishing. Wall Change makes the target Resistant to all elements with the exception of one; roll 1d6 and consult the table below to determine which one. The combatant is Weak to the chosen element. Roll again Roll Immunity 1 Earth every round. 2 Fire This effect lasts until the end of 3 Water the current combat, or until the 4 Wind target is unconscious. The target 5 Ice does not get an opposed roll to 6 Lightning resist the effects of Wall Change. Stone Breath (120 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Earth) Resistible The caster exhales a cloud of creeping gray vapors that slowly drift to settle over the target. Stone Breath deals (RES x 12) + 2d6 points of Earth damage. If the target fails their resistance roll they also suffer the negative status effect Petrify, with no maximum duration. Targets turned to stone in this fashion may remain statues for eons. Supernova (200 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-elemental Reflectable Pure white light floods the area, turning all combatants into stark black shadows; a second later, a swarm of dark particles homes in on the spell’s target, blasting them for (PWR x 25) + 2d6 or (RES x 25) + 2d6 points of non-elemental damage – caster’s choice. Supernova can be cast at a Long Range. Force Field (80 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect The caster is enveloped by a prismatic glow, creating a rapidly expanding field which summons a flash of white light to engulf them, Roll Immunity gradually spreading out to 1 Earth and Fire cover their allies before fading. 2 Water and Wind Force Field bestows an 3 Ice and Lightning Immunity to random elements. 4 Shadow This spell lasts until the end of 5 Holy combat and may be cast 6 Target’s Choice multiple times on the same target(s). Mighty Guard (100 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Brilliant green globes of energy form around the caster and their allies, fading into thin air a second later. Mighty Guard adds the Status Conditions Haste, Flight, Protect, and Shell to one target. Roulette (150 MP) Target: Local Type: Effect All natural light suddenly ceases as a single spotlight begins to spin across the battlefield, drawing in tighter and tighter circles around the combatants until it stops on a single target, defeating it instantly. In order to determine the 'lucky winner' of this grisly fate, all active combatants should make a 2d6 roll once Roulette is cast. The lowest rolling combatant is immediately killed, regardless of their current HP score. This ability works on all Notorious Monsters and Bosses, even if they are normally immune to instant death-inducing attacks. The random outcome of Roulette cannot be altered by any means, though death caused in this way can be avoided by the usual destiny expenditure. White Wind (100 MP) Target: Single Type: Elemental (Holy) A dazzling constellation of pearls hovers around the caster, radiating waves of bright light to restore (Caster’s Current HP) HP to one ally of his choice. If combined with the Blue Mage ability ‘Diffusion, the 25% HP is subtracted before the caster and all allies recover health. Trine (250 MP) Target: Special Type: Non-Elemental Three quicksilver spheres spiral out from the caster, launching out in rapid succession and dealing a flat (DEX x 8) points of Non-Elemental M.ARM damage to the target, three times. Then, these same orbs solidify and expand into the shape of cruel spikes before boomeranging back to the caster, passing through either the same target or a second enemy of the caster’s choice, dealing (MND x 8) points of ARM damage per spear on the return trip. 232 Time Magic NOVICE Burn Ray (5 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-Elemental Reflectable The air around all one enemy condenses, compressing into a tight ball until it explodes. Burn Ray inflicts (PWR x 4) + 2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage to one enemy. Analyze (10 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect The user is capable of determining the exact properties and Tier (if applicable) of any magical item. This ranges from weapons and armor to accessories and unmarked potions; even things like magical paintings and nondescript crystal fragments. For this reason, many shifty bazaar owners loudly declare that this spell’s authenticity is suspect, and that the mundane goods they’re trying to peddle truly are lost, powerful artifacts. Legendary equipment cannot be ‘read’ with this spell, and extremely evil items can cause a magical backlash and cause the caster of Analyze physical harm. Meteorite (8 MP) Target: Group Type: Non-Elemental The caster tears a small meteorite free from its path across the cosmos, pulling it down to earth where it crashes into all enemies. Meteorite inflicts (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of NonElemental damage to all enemies. Eject (15 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect The character reverses gravity around one enemy and sends him hurtling skyward. The target and the caster make an opposed Force check; if the caster is successful, the target is caught in the negative gravity zone and thrown a Medium Range into the air and suspended there. The caster may choose to reverse the spell as an instant action at any time, smashing the target back into the ground when gravity re-establishes itself. Thus, if successful, Eject can cause any targets vulnerable to falling damage (creatures without Flight or Defy Gravity, for example) to lose 50% of their maximum HP upon collision with the ground. Large creatures are immune to the Eject spell. Attempting this spell in an enclosed location may cause Eject to fail as the target merely finds themself thrown toward a low-hanging roof, at the GM’s discretion. Enervate (5 MP) Target: Single Type: Effect The Time Mage creates a localized pocket of accelerated time around a small nonorganic object, causing it to age hundreds of years in an instant. Some materials disintegrate in seconds. Steel, iron, and certain other metals can rust or become brittle due to ‘prolonged’ exposure to the humid air, and when making a Force check to destroy an object affected by Enervate, the difficulty should be reduced significantly. Enervate deals (PWR x 6) +2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage if used on a Construct enemy. Quickening (2 MP) Target: Self Type: Status The Time Mage speeds up the atoms that compose his body, moving more rapidly than any person should ever be able to. Upon successfully casting this spell, and at the start of each of his subsequent turns, the Time Mage loses 25% of his maximum HP. However, while the spell lasts, the character gains the effects of the Haste status. The Time Mage may choose to end the effects of this spell at the end of each of his turns as an instant action. Illusion (6 MP) Target: Local Type: Effect The character can create a realistic, moving visual image that others can see. The spell does not make real, solid objects, instead conjuring only magical figments and trickeries. They can move and make noises as long as the caster is within a Short Range of his illusion, and they vanish utterly if he ever goes more than a Medium Range away. Illusion cannot create false textures or temperatures, and viewers are under no compulsion to believe the authenticity of what they see; no more than usual, anyway. Illusion cannot be used to change someone’s appearance flawlessly, nor can the spell’s effects occupy more than several meters of space. Viewers can make a heroic Awareness check to see through the effects of Illusion. Magnetite Cloud (12 MP) Target: Local Type: Effect Resistible By forming a magnetic photon field, the caster is able to restrict the movement of anyone relying on burdensome metal armor or protection. When Magnetite Cloud is used, the caster rolls their Force attribute…then, the current area becomes Difficult Terrain, causing all enemies primarily made of metal, individuals who are using Heavy Armor, or armor composed of magnetic metals (such as iron and steel, but not, say, Adamantite) to make a resistance roll against the Time Mage’s force check. Any target who fails is inflicted with the negative status effect Stop. In addition, all magnetic objects in the area are sent crashing to the ground. Though Magnetite Cloud cannot directly cause metal-wielding foes to be Disarmed, trying to lift a metallic object while in this difficult terrain requires a Force check against the difficulty of the roll initially made by the caster. Which materials and opponents are magnetic is ultimately up to the GM. Sprint (5 MP) Target: Single Type: Status A series of red rings materialize around the target’s legs or equivalent anatomy, glowing with suffused power before fading away again. The target's movement speed is doubled for several minutes – they can now travel a Medium range distance instead of a Short range each round. 233 INTERMEDIATE Quick (30 MP) Target: Self Type: Status A translucent clock encases the caster, creating a pocket of localized time. Quick grants the positive status effect Haste to the caster. Escape (10 MP) Target: Party Type: Effect Acting as a short-range teleport, this spell allows the party to exit dungeons with convenient swiftness. The spell returns all party members to the last safe location on or near the surface. This magick also doubles as a way to safely flee dangerous combat, as casting will instantly end combat and return the likely-wounded characters to the nearest safe resting location. Ray Bomb (25 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-Elemental Reflectable Brilliant spheres of energy appear before the caster, joining together into a single searing burst of destruction. Ray Bomb inflicts (PWR x 6) + 2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage. Gravity (50 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-Elemental Reflectable The caster launches a dark bubble of energy, wholly enclosing the target before subjecting it to crushing gravitational force from all directions for a significant period of time. Gravity deals (PWR x 3) points of Non-Elemental damage to the target at the start of each of their rounds until combat ends. Furthermore, while Gravity lasts the target finds it difficult to move or be moved. They are Immune to knockback effects and non-Large enemies can never physically move themselves more than a Short Range in a single round (though things like Teleport and Escape spells can bypass this). Quarter (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible Spheres of black and violet surge out to enclose one opponent, crackling with audible force as the gravity inside the bubbles increases a hundredfold. Quarter reduces a target's HP by 25% of its maximum. Time Slip (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible A current of time swirls around the target, stirring up dust and decay as it pushes the unfortunate forward into old age and disability – or renders them youthful and strong, but inexperienced. Upon casting Time Slip, the target’s age will change rapidly; whether the character will grow Old or Young is determined randomly. Time Slip lasts for two rounds before it automatically reverts. Old: The target is affected with Power Break and Speed Break, causing them to deal half damage with all physical attacks and suffer from halved Force, Finesse, ACC and AVD scores. However, all offensive and healing spells have their effects increased by two steps. Young: The target is affected with Magic Break and Armor Break, causing them to deal half damage with all magical effects and suffer from 0 ARM and M.ARM. However, all physical attacks deal an additional two damage steps for the duration. Invisible (30 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible Invisible makes an ally translucent, nearly impossible to target with melee attacks and granting them the status of the same name. The target gains a +3 bonus to Stealth skill checks, their AVD score, and checks to Run Away in combat. The effects of Invisible last until the character sustains any damage, uses a job ability, or combat ends. Hyperdrive (60 MP) Target: Local Type: Effect A hazy clock face shimmers into existence across the battlefield, hands shuddering as they begin to slow, eventually stopping dead. For a moment, the second hand wavers, almost seeming to move backwards before the clock explodes in a shower of fragments. All enemies and allies other than the caster may immediately take a standard action. These actions are presumed to happen simultaneously. Dimensional Gate (50 MP) Target: Local Type: Effect The fabric of reality ripples and twists, finally creating a tear in time and space itself that appears as a black portal through which an infinite expanse of stars can be seen, captured moments continually flicker and replay across the rippling surface of the gate. Willingly or unwillingly entering the Dimensional Gate transports any sentient creature to either the Void or the Farplane, depending on the caster’s wishes when the spell is cast. (See p.175 for more information on these locations.) The Dimensional Gate closes several hours after being cast – trapping anyone who has not yet returned on the other side, perhaps permanently. 234 EXPERT Comet (60 MP) Target: Group Type: Non-Elemental The caster reaches towards the heavens, pulling cosmic debris from its orbit to crash down in a shower of fire and molten rock. Comet causes 2d6 meteors to damage foes; each strike inflicts (PWR x 3) + 2d6 Non-Elemental damage to all enemies. Demi (100 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible An opaque gray sphere encloses the target; seconds later, crushing gravitational forces compress, releasing the target only once the sphere has shrunk to a speck of its former self. Gravity reduces a target's HP by 50%, not modified for ARM or M.ARM. Demi still cannot exceed the normal damage limitation of 999. Shockwave Pulsar (60 MP) Target: Single Type: Non-Elemental Reflectable Gravity suddenly ceases to function as glowing sphere of stellar energy and gases materializes above the battlefield, drawing an adversary into its embrace before exploding in a violent burst of light and heat. Shockwave Pulsar inflicts (PWR x 9) + 2d6 damage to one enemy. Temporal Shift (70 MP) Target: Local Type: Status In an instant, the caster is surrounded by ring after ring of translucent clocks, circling in a slow pattern before speeding up and shattering. The glittering debris hovers in mid-air for a moment, drawing the lines of an ethereal clock face before winking out of existence. Temporal Shift creates Difficult Terrain in the area. Everyone standing in the temporal terrain loses the status effects Stop, Stun, Slow, and Haste, and may not become affected by any of those status effects for the remainder of combat. Brainstorm (80 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible Hazy lights encircle the target as it wavers and fades, body suddenly out of sync with time around it – then the caster assaults the foe’s mind with waves of energy, robbing the target of wits and reasoning. One enemy target is afflicted with the Confuse status. The enemy does not get an opposed roll to resist the effects of Brainstorm if they are already afflicted with Stop, Slow, or Stun. Teleport (100 MP) Target: Party Type: Effect Much like Escape, Teleport can take the entire party great distances in the blink of an eye. This is subject to a few important restrictions. First, the party cannot be in combat when this spell is cast. Second, the location can be anywhere in the world, so long as the caster has been there within the last several months and is familiar with the location. Third, the spell will fail if the location is extremely dangerous, such as submerged under lava or overrun by monsters. Finally, Teleport can only transport the party to geographical locations, never to an object or person. Disable (70 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible The target is encased in a bubble of turquoise light, freezing time and preventing the target from participating in combat for one round. The target is affected by the negative status effect Stun for one round. Haste (90 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable The Time Mage slows the entire world with the exception of one target – thus making it seem as though they possess incredible speed. The target receives the effects of Haste until combat ends. Slow (100 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible With a metaphysical shove the target is pushed outside of the normal flow of time, their movements becoming predictable and sluggish. The target is afflicted with the negative status effect Slow. Advanced Illusion (30 MP) Target: Local Type: Effect This spell is similar to the Illusion magick, but with the following changes. First, the caster needs not be anywhere near the spell for it to function, and the spell now also includes thermal, and olfactory trickeries as well – other than being nonsolid and incapable of causing damage, the illusion it is completely lifelike in every way. Viewers can make a supreme Awareness check to realize that the image is abnormal, unless the Advanced Illusion has been cast around an individual to change his appearance, in which case opposed rolls are more appropriate. 235 SUPERIOR Flight (60 MP) Target: Party Type: Status Resistible Gravity frees its grip upon the Time Mage and her allies, allowing them to drift freely. All allies receive the ability to fly until the game session ends. Targets with Flight can are immune to falling damage, Earth damage, and short-ranged weapons suffer a -4 penalty to hit them (in addition to the obvious movement bonuses a soaring character would obtain). Reset (50 MP) Target: Local Type: Effect A glittering hourglass appears hovering beside the caster, filled with the sands of barely-suppressed temporal energy. After Reset is cast, the Time Mage can declare any enemy or ally must re-roll any one attack or check – the hourglass shatters on command, sending everyone back a few precious seconds in the time stream. After the Reset spell is cast, the Time Mage can force this reroll at any time until combat ends, even when it isn’t his turn. Reset lasts until a reroll is caused in this method, then the spell ends – casting the Reset spell a second time while the first is still active has no additional effect. Gravija (100 MP) Target: Group Type: Non-Elemental Reflectable The caster releases a black sphere of pure gravitational energy, causing thousands of tones of force to press upon and pulverize his enemies. Gravija deals (PWR x 5) points of Non-Elemental damage to each enemy target at the start of each of their rounds until combat ends. Furthermore, while Gravija lasts enemies find it difficult to move or be moved. They are Immune to knockback effects and nonLarge creatures can never physically move themselves more than a Short Range in a single round (though things like Teleport and Escape spells can bypass this). Quasar (120 MP) Target: Group Type: Non-Elemental The skies part, drawing down a searing shower of celestial debris and radiation to bombard the battlefield. Quasar inflicts (PWR x 12) + 2d6 points of Non-Elemental damage to all enemies. Mystify (200 MP) Target: Single Type: Status Reflectable, Resistible Make an opposed roll against your target with a -4 penalty. Success despite these odds means that you caster of Mystify learns the complete list of status effects their target can be affected by. They caster may then choose one negative status and automatically apply it. Time Stop (130 MP) Target: Special Type: Status Resistible The Time Mage creates a localized pocket of space around one target, freezing it and everything nearby in time for a moment. Time Stop attempts to cause the negative status effects Stun and Stop to one target, as well as all other enemies and allies within a Short Range of that target. Vanish (100 MP) Target: Group Type: Status Vanish turns the entire party completely translucent, allowing them to move without detection and become nearly impossible to strike in combat. All party members gain the effects of Invisible, increasing their AVD, Stealth, and checks to Run Away in combat by +4. Black Hole (200 MP) Target: Group Type: Status Resistible A spinning vortex of gravitational energy forms above the battlefield, crackling as it begins to direct crushing pressure on all enemies. If unresisted, Black Hole reduces all foes to 25% of their maximum HP, not modified for ARM or M.ARM. Black Hole fails if this would reduce a target’s health by more than 999 points regardless if the caster has Break Damage Limit. X-Zone (60 MP) Target: Single, Special Type: Effect The fabric of reality splits open in a flash of white light, revealing the alien stars beyond for brief instant. Otherworldly creatures such as Espers are forced back to their own reality by the casting of this spell. The target of X-Zone – who must be an Esper or a being from the Farplane or Void - is instantly reduced to 0 hit points and removed from the current combat. Effects that the target may possess – such as Auto-Life or Indestructible – will not allow the Esper or creature to remain in combat after X-Zone is used, or summoned again in the same game session. X-Zone can be cast at a Long Range and has no effect against bosses. Hastaga (150 MP) Target: Party Type: Status Reflectable A glowing red clock materializes below the caster’s allies, hands spinning at normal speed but increasing by the second before it fades in a flash, bestowing the Status Condition Haste on all allies until the end of combat. 236 ANCIENT M Warp (180 MP) Target: Self Type: Effect age has attained d the pinnacle of his craft, and can The Time Ma now choose to exist apart fro om time as we pe erceive it. He is little more than a blur on the battle efield, phasing in n and out of reality as he wills it. g this spell, when never the Time Mage M is targeted by b After casting an attack but before accurac cy/damage is rolle ed, the characterr e 25% of hiis maximum MP to negate any may opt to expend damage or effects e he would take from the assault. He does not evade the atttack, nor does th his prevent Group magic from harming his allies – the Time e Mage is simply not there. e, while Warp perrsists the Time Mage M is immune to t Furthermore any damage e or effects cause ed by Difficult Terrain, but cannott regain MP th hrough any mean ns. The effects of o Warp end whe en the Time Mage is reduced to 0 MP or HP, or the end of com mbat. 00 MP) Meteo (20 Target: G Group Type: Non n-Elemental With a sin ngle motion, the caster splits the skies above the battlefield d to reveal the sta ars and planets b beyond – and a ssingle fiery mete eor hurtling towa rds the battlefield d below, crashing down in a shower of rock and flame. Mete eo deals (PWR x 25) + 2d6 pointts of Non-Elemen ntal damage to a all enemies. Slowaga (240 MP) Group Target: G Type: Sta atus Reflectab ble, Resistible A giant, h hazy silver clock appears over the e battlefield, spin nning lazily as itt slows down by the second. Slow waga afflicts all ffoes with the n negative status e effect Slow. 250 MP) Flare Star (2 Target: Single ental Type: Eleme Reflectable t forces of the cosmos, the cas ster bathes the Drawing on the battlefield in the light of a dying star, searing a single foe with e pure stellar energy. Flare Star de eals (PWR x 15) + 2d6 points of Fire F damage, (PW WR x 15) + 2d6 points p of Shadow w damage, and (PWR x 15) + 2d6 6 points of Holly damage to one e enemy. 237 Sum mmonin ng Summons aare powerful e entities that waatch over the h heroes of the w world. Though they normally exist outside o of reality as w we can perceive e it, spending D Destiny can cause a group’s SSummoned allyy to manifest. Following is a complete list of Summon ns, their combaat capabilities aand their drivinng goals. Bismarck C Carbuncle (Rank 1) (Rank 1) The hau unting melody off a whale song ffills the area as Bismarck, the great white humpback whale, swims throug gh the air an nd dives into a po ool of water tha at appears on thee battlefield d. Once submerg ged, he surfaces and sprays a misst from h his blowhole. The summ moner takes a sm mall ruby out off her pocket and tosses it almosst casually into tthe air. As the su un catches the ru uby, a brilliant fflash of light occcurs. When the llight clears, the rruby is clearly lodged in the foorehead of a sma all, turquoise aniimal. Carbunncle does a littlee somersault in tthe air, glad to b be of service. Abilities A Breach: Thee Great Whale sslams his enormoous bulk into one foe, doing (P PWR x 3) or (RESS x 4) + 2d6 points of physical damage. Geyser: Bissmarck dives benneath the surfacce, gathering water into his greaat mouth. The grround beneath tthe target ripples as the whale su urfaces underne eath it, with his b blowhole situate ed beneath the e target's feet. W With a mighty blo ow, Bismarck fire es a stream of water up at the foe, sending it fflying into the air with a Medium‐Range knockback. As always, targets withou ut e 50% of their Flight or an immunity to falling damage lose HP when they re‐‐collide with the e ground. maximum H Spells: Bism marck cast Water and Vox. Astral Flow w, Sea Song: Bismarck’s whale song fills the areea as the entire e battlefield is flo ooded with water. Without warning, he swims rapidly through the field d, pulling a current of water witth him and doingg (RES x 6) + 2d6 6 Water elementtal damage to aall enemies. Special S Resistant to o Water, Vulneraable to Lightningg, Resistance to FFire Devotion D Bismarck’ss goal is to prote ect the oceans and its defenseless inhabitantss from some greaat catastrophe itt foresees loomiing on the h horizon; if its sum mmoner prevents this tragedy, Bismarck will no longer costt Destiny to summon and grantss his Pact Gift. P Pact Gift P The Summo oner(s) may now w breathe water as easily as theyy do air, aand cannot drow wn under any circcumstances. Abilities Searing Light: The tiny gem within Carbbuncle’s foreheaad sears a fooe with ruby eneergy, doing (RES x 1) or (MND x 22) + 2d6 pointts of non‐elemental magical dam mage that ignorees the effects off Shell and Unussual Defense. Ruby Ligght: Carbuncle rraises its head, ccausing the light of the sun to refflect off of its ruuby brightly. Thee reflected light sseems to coat o ne of the Summ moner's party meembers. As the liight dies, the affected party m member feels ligghter in spirit, ass though thhe light is proteccting him. The taarget gains the positive sstatus effect Refflect for several rrounds. Spells: CCarbuncle can caast Dia, Wall, andd Meteorite. Astral Fllow, Shielding Light: Carbunccle rears up ontoo its hind legs,, staring at the ssun. Suddenly, itt launches itself into the air, sppinning around qquickly. Once it is several feet o off the ground, itt seems to pausse, floating in midair as it collects the solar rayss. Finally, it releaases its accumulated light over tthe Summon er's party, coating each in a diviine light and graanting each partty member with Reflect and Sheell for several rou unds, and restooring (MND x 3) MP to all party m members. Special Unusuual Defense: Phyysical (Takes 2000% damage from m all physical ssources and halff from all magicaal), Auto‐Regen,, Auto‐ Reflect Devotion The Espper of glee has no driving goals, content to watcch the party//character do w what they like so long as it does n not interruptt Carbuncle’s naaptime. Carbuncle never costs D Destiny to sum mmon, and alwayys grants his Pacct Gift automaticcally. Pact Gift Simpply by picking up any discarded cchunk of earth and concenttrating, Carbunccle’s Summoner may grant the sstone the Glow wing property. TThis Glowstone eemits enough ligght to help the party find their way even in pitcch blackness, bu ut loses all magiical properties aand reverts back to a regular rocck the moment it leaaves the Summoner’s grasp. 238 Ch hocobo SSalamander (Rank 1) (Rank 1) A loud a and familiar ‘Kweeh!’ alerts your a attention to the horizon, wh here a cloud of d dust announces the arrival of yo our Summon. Chocobo rushess into the fray at top speed, wing gs outsttretched and fea athers blowing in n the breeze. The sum mmoner opens hher palm to reveeal a beautiful flo ower made off brilliant flame, which she lays o on the ground. O Out of this flow wer crawls a smaall scarlet lizard w with brilliant bea ads of crimson ffire for eyes. Craawling along thee ground in frontt of the Summ moner, it leaves tiny lizard‐printss melted into eveery surface itt touches. Thouggh less than a fo oot long, this tinyy lizard possessess unimaginable power; it is the lliving manifesta ation of fire. It is Salamandeer. Abilities A Chocobop:: By battering ann enemy with ann irritated combination n of pecks and kicks, Chocobo caan inflict (PWR xx 3) or (DEX x 4) + 2d6 points off physical damagge. Choco Esun na: The Esper is able to heal abnnormal statuses merely by flapping its purifyying wings. Chocco Esuna remove es e status effect frrom one charactter, and the targget one negative gains a +4 bonus on resistan nce checks when never they would be inflicted w with a new negaative status effecct. This additional benefit lastss until the characcter takes damage. Choco Barrrier: A golden barrier forms in m midair, granting the effects of Prrotect and Shell tto one characterr. Spells: Chocobo is capable of using Choco BBall, Fire, and Meteorite. Astral Flow w, Chocobo Rush: The Chocobbo lets out a loudd ‘K‐KWEHHH H!’ and charges fo orward, and literally dozens of other creatu ures follow suit. Chocobos of all colors suddenlyy appear, alon ng with leafers, ccactuars, and all sorts of naturall critters. Thiss impromptu staampede deals (D DEX x 7) + 2d6 points of damage to all enem mies. Devotion D Chocobo is the spirit of advventure and travel, and encouragges wing to go out and any individuals that it has ttaken under its w explore. If the summoner ever travels to a distant and unexplored land withou ut the aid of macchines or magic, Chocobo will no longer require Destiny to summon. Pact Gift P Fittingly, the Summoner now has a special bond with the e world, and may call one from miles natural Chocobos of the w histling. Such Ch hocobos will even and miles away just by wh n erupting volcano venture intto dangerous terrritory such as an or a militaryy encampment to aid the Summoner, though there are some e places in the world where thesse friendly avianss don’t naturally live. In ad ddition, the Espe er allows itself to o be ridden without complaintt, and gives a +4 4 bonus to Nature checkks for difficult rid ding maneuvers wh hen acting as a m mount. Abilities Cough D Drop: The tiny lizard belches forrth a sphere of flame, dealing (PPWR x 3) + 2d6 ppoints of Fire daamage to one target and remooving any Resistaance to Fire the target may havee possesse d until combat eends. Fire Breaath: Salamandeer opens its mouuth and hisses att one poor happless foe, bathingg in it in a stream m of pure elemeental Fire and ddealing (PWR x 55) + 2d6 points o of Fire damage. Unfortunnately, as Salamaander draws closser to being ban nished, less and lless flame is prooduced. If Salamaander is at 50% health mage is reduced by two steps. or less, Fiire Breath’s dam The Biggger They Are: TThe Esper makess itself comfortaable on an enemyy, crawling undeerneath clothingg or on top of mu uch larger creeatures. It’s smooldering footstep ps deal (DEX x 2)) +2d6 points of Fire damage to the target and aare more than a little distractinng. Until the endd of the enemy’ss next turn, they suffer a ‐2 penaalty to attack rolls if it targets a ccreature other than Salamandder. And if any eenemy targets Saalamander before his next rounnd, and misses ddue to the nimblle creature’s AVD, their attaack then targets the creature Salamander is scurrying upon insttead. Spells: SSalamander can ccast Fire and Eleemental Spikes (Fire). Astral Fllow, Crimson R Roar: Salamandder unleashes a ng all enemies in massive ttorrent of pure fflame, smotherin n a sea of burninng agony ‐ dealinng (PWR x 8) + 2d d6 points of Firee damage. ow 50% of his Howeverr, if Salamander is injured – belo maximum m health – then Crimson Roar’s damage is reducced by four stepps and deals onlyy (PWR x 4) + 2d6 instead. Special Immune to Fire, Weakness to Water Devotion Salamannder has a soft spot for public diisplays of spectaacular, fiery a nd extravagant destruction, and d will no longer ccost Destinny after their sum mmoner has solvved a long‐stand ding problem in such a manner – while still reemaining a paragon of heroism. Pact Gift The Suummoner has m mastered fire and d is treated as beeing undder the effect off Fire Ward at alll times, gaining aa perm manent Resistannce to all forms o of heat and flam me. Meanw while, Salamandeer gains a +4 bon nus to his AVD score. 239 Siren Sylph (Rank 1) (Rank 1) Soft harp m music permeates the area, catchiing the attention n of all presen nt. Waves lap ag gainst the ground as a woman off unimaginab ble beauty stridees out from the ffoam, wearing litttle more than a few strips of ffabric and short boots. Her goldeen ng in even the sliightest breeze. hair flows freely, waftin he harp is a peacceful instrumentt, something abo out Although th Siren's face seeems wild and unttamed. unds of A light brreeze gusts throuugh the battlefieeld, carrying sou youngg girls giggling. A A small group of mischievous sprrites appearss, flitting about iin front of the Su ummoner and leeaving showeers of pink pixie ddust in their wakke. It's never eassy to discern jjust how many aare there, as the Sylphs dart to a and fro in a mindless daance around their summoner. Abilities A Lunatic Voice: Siren plays her harp and sinngs a wordless song, her eyyes locking on a ssingle target. Th he target takes (MND x 4) + 2d6 points of damage and musst make an opposed mmon lest they finesse roll aagainst the controller of the Sum become Berrserk, growing an ngry at the prosp pect of not possessing h her. Kiss: Siren bbrings her hand to her lips and pplants a kiss therre, then extend ds her palm outw ward and blows ssoftly toward on ne enemy. The target must succceed at an oppo osed Finesse rolll or armed for one ro ound. If the target does succeed, become Cha they instead d gain a cumulative +2 bonus on all opposed rolls against Siren n. Spells: The Esper is familiarr with the Waterr and Vox spells.. Astral Flow w, Siren Song: With a coy smile W e, Siren coos a strange songg, backed up by her harp. The entire enemy gro oup takes (MND x 5) + 2d6 damaage, and each on ne must make a successful Finesse roll or be smitten with love and become Confused as they fight friend d and foe alike ffor the rights to Siren's atten ntion. Special S Resistaance to Water, C Counterattack (5 50%), Magical Counte erattack (50%) Devotion D Siren coaxe es her protégés tto manipulate th heir foes instead d of fighting them. Siren no lon nger requires De estiny to call if he er summoner ever manages tto turn a dangerous enemy into an with deception, fflirtation, or hon neyed words. ally w Pact Gift P Wheneve er the Summone er spends Destiny to increase the e results off a Negotiation ro oll, they gain tw wo bonus dice pe er po oint of Destiny sspent instead of just one. Abilities Sylvan TTouch: A single Sylph separates from the groupp, flying tow ward an enemy. With a mischievvous giggle, she taps it lightly onn the nose, draw wing forth both h health and magicc. Wings fluuttering, she fliess back to the party and swoops around thhem, distributin g the stolen eneergy in a showerr of sparkling pink motes. Sylvan Touch drain ns (RES x 2) or (D DEX x nts 3) + 2d6 ppoints of HP andd MP from the taarget, then gran herself annd all party mem mbers the same amount of HP and MP. Wild Sam mba: The Sylphs join hands andd prance about, giggling m madly. If the targget of Wild Samba does not posssess any Destiiny this attack haas no effect. Oth herwise, the targget is forced too choose to eitheer lose one pointt of Destiny or suffer (MND x 55) + 2d6 points oof damage. Spells: SSylphs are capabble of casting botth Dia and Illusioon. Astral Fllow, Sylvan Daance: Instead off a single sprite fflying out, the eentire cloud of SSylphs swarms th he battlefield, daancing wildly aroound each of thee enemies. Afterr their twirl with h the targets, tthe Sylphs returnn to the party an nd dance around d them as well, ddistributing the hhealth and magic that their first dance had drainned. Sylvan Dancce drains both (D DEX x 5) + 2d6 points of HP andd MP from all targets, then gran nts all party mem mbers the samee amount of HP aand MP. Special Resisttance to Wind, R Resistance to Ho oly, Flight, Weakk to Shadow Devotion The Syylphs might be m mischievous trickksters, but they are supernaaturally bound too the planet’s fo orests. By proteccting a woodlaand from its eneemies without up psetting the deliicate balance of nature in thee process, the Syylph’s Devotion w will be satisfiedd and they will no longer requiree Destiny to sum mmon. Pact Gift The Sylpphs have taughtt their summoneer the secrets of their mysticaal and beautiful dance, which caan cause emotions to run wildd. By performingg this dance, the Summoner can force all whoo see it to make Acting skill checcks with a ‐2 pen nalty, oppossed by her Perfoorm skill check. Iff the viewers of the dance ffail this check, thhey are forced to o verbally reveal any hidden sentiments; thiss often includes declarations of love, snarlls of hatred, andd best of all, confessions of deceeit. 240 Valefor V C Catoblepas (Rank 1) (Rank 2) Descending from the sky on leathery wings, Valefor driftss slowly do ownwards and h hovers in front off the Summoner,, protecting tthem from thosee who wish to do o her master harrm. Valefor is a large avian crreature that vag guely resembles a a humanoiid bird, with a pllumage of red an nd purple downyy feathers. Ass she hovers and d awaits commands, she emits soft comfforting cries from m her silvery, steeel‐like beak. Great A thunddering of hoovess announces thee arrival of the G Boar, th ough he seems m much less impreessive and much more intimidatting up close. Caatoblepas chargees onto the batttlefield from afaar, legs flailing aas he runs and ca asting great clou uds of earth upp in his wake. Thhe large green‐fu urred beast skidss to a halt in frront of the summ moner, great hea ad hanging low to the ground ddespite a very loong neck. He sno orts, his head verry pig‐ likee save for the m mane and the sing gle glowing eye.. Abilities A Vertical Divve: Valefor swoops in, slashing at the target witth Abilities Cycloptiic Tackle: The EEsper overruns aa single target, hooked claw ws and her hard‐‐as‐steel beak. TThe attack deals (PWR x 4) orr (DEX x 4) + 2d6 6 points of damaage. Sonic Winggs: Valefor's winngs beat slower aand slower, seeming to sslow time down for a moment. G Gusts of wind caused by th his movement blow towards the e target, blastingg them with (P PWR x 3) + 2d6 p points of Wind d damage and hindering th heir attacks. Your enemy makes an opposed Force check with aa +4 bonus; if the ey still fail, they become affecte ed by the negattive status effect Stun for one tu urn. Spells: Valeefor is familiar w with all the basic elemental magicks, and d can cast Aero, Blizzard, Fire, Thunder, Water, Dia, and Chivalry. Astral Flow,, Energy Blast: Soaring high above the battlefield, Valefor colle ects energy in he er beak. With a b burst of intense light the ene ergy is released amidst the enem my group, scorching th hem for (PWR x 6 6) + 2d6 points o of non‐elementaal damage. The en, your enemie es make a resistaance check with a +4 bonus; faailure means the ey become afflictted by Armor Break. attemptinng to trample thhem with his many hooves. The attack deals (REES x 5) or (PWR xx 4) + 2d6 pointss of damage Medusaa's Eye: Catoblepas lowers his hhead to the ground and starees intently at thee target, his eye glowing a dull o orange. The targeet's eyes are drawn to the gaze aand fixed with teerror... then the beast blinks andd lifts his head away from the grround, he target to inflict the look hhaving shocked the system of th (RES x 3) + 2d6 points of damage and, wiith a successful opposed roll, Petrifies the target for one round. Unblinkiing Stare: Catooblepas affixes his gaze to a singgle target, sttripping away their magical fortifications. Until olls to combat eends, that foe suuffers a ‐1 penaltty on opposed ro resist neggative status effeects, and the efffect is cumulativve. Spells: CCatoblepas can cchannel the effeccts of Ray Bombb, Melt, andd Blank Gaze froom his unblinkingg eye. Astral Fllow, Devil's Eyye: Catoblepas loowers his head aand stares acrross the battlefield, his single eyye glowing a brigght red. Visioons of lifeless stoones and statuess float around his head, andd all the targets attempt to breaak away from the beast's inntent stare. Wheen he finally closses his eye, all enemies must make a successful resistan nce check to avo oid being affllicted with the nnegative status eeffect Petrify. Special S Flight Devotion D Valefor hon nors those who d demonstrate braavery in the face e of danger, o or are willing to sacrifice their ow wn goals for the e greater ggood. At the GM M’s discretion, an n act of extreme altruism caan permanently reduce Valefor’ss destiny cost to 0. Pact Gift P The loyaal avian never strrays far. You may now Summon Valefor as aan Instant action n even when it issn’t your turn, and Valefor gains the benefits of Im mperil. Special Resistancce to Earth, Beasst Killer Devotion This Espper is a slothful bbeing that knows the value in waaiting for the rright time to strike, felling its op pponents with a single glance. Iff the party ever duplicates this m method and deffeats a group oof similar‐level ffoes in a Pre‐Emptive combat ro ound, Catobleppas will forever aafter only require 1 point of Destiny to call forth. Pact Gift ock that a summ After Caatoblepas gets over his initial sho moner would taake the time to fform a bond with one as grotesq que as he, he happily serves hhis partner with a far more stubb born tenaacity than beforee. mmoner’s Max H HP x 5) Catobleppas now calculatees his HP as (Sum instead oof only double thhe value. Furtheermore, he also ggains a Resisstance to Shadow. 241 Ifrit Leviathan (Rank 2) (Rank 2) The grou und rumbles and d shakes as a fountain of magma a erupts from m the earth, carrrying a giant mu uscular beast. Th he magma cools and hardens as Ifrit lands wiith a loud thud, h his massive horrns reflecting thee ambient light. Flame erupts fro om his canin ne maw as he thrrows back his heead and bellows.. Abilities A Fiery Strike e: Ifrit leaps tow wards one target, tearing into them with wickedly‐curved claws.. The attack deals (PWR x 5) or (RES x 4) + 2 2d6 points of dam mage. Meteor Drive: Ifrit lets outt a roar as his claaws are engulfed in flames, then n leaps toward h his victim with in nsane speed and pounds upon it with his burning fists. This b barrage deals (PW WR x 8) + 2d6 po oints of ARM Firre damage – how wever, Ifrit may no longer use aan Astral Flow be efore being dism missed. Spells: Unsurprisingly, Ifrit specializes in the Fire, Fira, and Temper spells. Astral Flow w, Hellfire: Ifrit grabs his victim and hurls it intoo the sky, then n claws out a hu uge rock from the ground. The ro ock is engulfed in fire and even begins to melt from the incredib ble heat. With aa powerful roar aand a final burstt of flames, Ifrit launches the e ball of molten rock at the target to inflict a tremendouss amount of Fire damage and a sshort‐range knockback. Hellfire deals (PW WR x 10) + 2d6 p points of ARM damage to aa single target. A briny ssmell is in the airr as the ground before the summ moner turns to water. Suddenlyy, the pool of wa ater is disturbed as the sinuouss form of Leviathhan, lord of the d depths, breaches the surface and rises into th he air. Abilities Azure Crrash: Leviathan collides with a ttarget, moving w with superior aagility to inflict aas much damagee as possible witth its sinuous bbody. The attackk deals (DEX x 5) or (PWR x 4) + 22d6 points of damage. Crushingg Coils: Leviathan wraps himself around an inanimatee object and squueezes, using brute force to splinter and destrroy ships and other large objectts. Leviathan can n make a Force c heck (using the summoner’s atttributes, as alwaays) to destroy aan object with a +8 bonus to thee roll. Jet: Leviaathan unleashess a powerful keeen as a wave beccomes visible su rging towards thhe enemies. Thee wave quickly reeaches d6 the monssters, washing over them to infliict (DEX x 8) + 2d Water daamage to all foess – however, Levviathan may no longer use an Asstral Flow beforee being dismisseed. Spells: TThough not know wn for his magical might, the kin ng of all seas caan cast Water and Watera. Astral Fllow, Tidal Wavve: Again Leviatthan keens, but tthis time, watter is suddenly vvisible on all sidees of the monsteers. With a thhunderous crashh the oceans of the world slam in nto his opponen ts, simultaneoussly drowning and crushing them m. All monsterss on the battlefieeld take grievous amounts of W Water damage aand are knockedd back a Short Raange; Tidal Wave deals (DEEX x 10) + 2d6 pooints in all and even affects enem mies who are LLarge or otherw wise Immune to kknockback. Special S Immunityy to Fire, Weakne ess to Ice, Vulne erability to Wate er Devotion D Ifrit grantts his boon to he eroes who can de emonstrate theiir dominan nce over other, lesser mortals. TThis Devotion is fulfilled when the Summoner uses raw forrce to simply takke what they wantt without reperccussion. Special Immunitty to Water, Weakness to Lightn ning, Resistant to o Fire, R Resistant to Ice Pact Gift P Devotion Ifrit’s gift of wrath permanently increasess his Summoner’’s nts. PWR attribute by four poin The llord of the oceans is a noble and d regal Esper wh ho, perhaps surprisingly, vallues law and pollitical hierarchy above oner all elsee. Leviathan’s Deevotion is realizeed if the Summo carriies out a dangerrous task for a po olitically powerfful individual with efficiency and d humility. Pact Gift Althouugh not fully maaterial, Leviathan n may rise from the depthss of the sea, beckkoning the partyy to climb aboard his serpentinne neck before ttravelling througgh hidden underrwater pathw ways. When nearr a large enough h body of water, the Summonner with this giftt may cast the Teleport spell to travel to any cooastal city or loccation. 242 Pandemona Ramuh (Rank 2) (Rank 2) Winds begin to whip up the battlefield, quickly condensing into a howling tornado. What looms over the enemy when all has dispersed looks like something out of a fever dream: a faceless giant, purple skin dappled and mottled with splashes of pink and white, sizing the field up with an eyeless gaze. As three long tubes slung over one shoulder start drawing in the surrounding air, what at first appeared to be a tail begins to grow in size, swelling until it is almost spherical and creaking with tension. Pandemona, the Wind Devil, is ready to strike. Storm clouds gather overhead and the rumble of thunder can be heard in the distance, and bolts of lightning burst from the clouds and strike the ground in front of the Summoner. When the flash of light and peal of thunder have faded, the Summoner is accompanied by a wizened man with a long grey beard, dressed in loose green robes and carrying a gnarled old staff. Despite his age, not a flicker of weakness or infirmity passes over Ramuh's face; his expression is hard, eyes shining with a terrible majesty. Abilities Cyclonic: The Esper swirls through the battlefield, leaving Abilities Shock Strike: Ramuh lifts his staff high, allowing it to be destruction in its wake. The attack deals (DEX x 5) or (PWR x 4) + 2d6 points of damage to two different enemies. Aerial Blast: Pandemona releases the accumulated contents of his wind‐bag in a single violent torrent that all but blasts the target out of the battle. Aerial Blast inflicts (DEX x 5) + 2d6 points of Wind Elemental damage to one enemy. The damage from this attack cannot be reduced with M.ARM or Shell. However, any foe defeated with Aerial Blast does not drop money or items, nor can they be Scavenged, having been blown away in the storm. Spells: Pandemona is only able to cast the Aero, Aerora, and Thrust Kick spells. Astral Flow, Tornado Zone: The 'mouths' of Pandemona's air‐tubes flare wide, unleashing three screaming torrents of wind that twist and intertwine as they surge towards the enemy. Wind Blade inflicts (DEX x 10) + 2d6 points of Wind Elemental damage to all enemies and causes a Medium Range knockback. The damage from this attack cannot be reduced with M.ARM or Shell. However, any foe defeated with Wind Blade does not drop money or items, nor are they an eligible target for the Scavenge skill. struck by an errant bolt of lightning from the clouds. Whirling the rod once over his head, he points it at the target and the electrical charge leaps towards it, shocking it with (MND x 5) + 2d6 points of Lightning damage. This is followed by a resistance roll – a failure means the enemy loses one beneficial status effect of the summoner’s choice. Silencing Rain: By parting the heavens with a sudden downpour, Ramuh can muffle the sounds needed for spellcasting and make warriors struggle to battle. Silencing Rain creates the effects of Difficult Terrain in the current location, and all targets (enemies and allies both) are affected by Seal. Silencing Rain: Ramuh’s large repertoire of magic includes Thunder, Thundara, Elemental Spikes (Lightning), Resonance, Transform, Flash, Seal, Wall, Dimensional Gate, and Vox. Astral Flow, Judgment Bolt: Ramuh chants in an arcane language, and the sky grows dark from gathering clouds. The clouds swirl and twist above the targets, the winds howling and the sound of thunder growing louder with each second. Suddenly a volley of lightning crashes into the ground amidst the targets, electricity arcing between their bodies and jolting them all with Lightning damage; (MND x 9) + 2d6 points total. In addition, Judgment Bolt automatically removes all positive status effects from the target without an opposed roll. Special Immunity to Wind, Resistant to Lightning, Flight, Aerial Killer Special Devotion Pandemona is as chaotic the wind itself, and finds great amusement in situations where everything seems to go wrong. He will cost one fewer points of Destiny to call forth after the Summoner suffers a Complication – a natural roll of 2 – on an Elementary or Easy skill and fails the follow‐up roll. Pact Gift Pandemona gains the following new ability; Shearing Wind: Make an opposed Force check against one target; if successful, Shearing Wind causes a Short Range knockback. This attack then deals (DEX x 10) + 2d6 points of Wind damage if this knockback interrupts an enemy’s Slow action Immunity to Lightning, Vulnerable to Water, Flight Devotion Ramuh has been known by many names over his ageless existence; some logical, some unusual. He has been the Justicar, the Archon of Storms, the Master of Creation. He has watched religions form in worship of him, and he has watched centuries come as little more than an old man smoking a pipe. This Devotion is satisfied when the Summoner permanently changes the world by outsmarting a long‐standing problem. Ramuh is pleased when he sees legacies based on good, common sense. Pact Gift Ramuh’s gift of wisdom permanently increases his Summoner’s MND attribute by four points. 243 Shiva S (R Rank 2) As the SSummoner comp pletes the final m motions of the summoning ritual, man‐sizeed fragments of ice come crashin ng down on thee battlefield to ccreate a jagged ttower of polished, glistening g cold. Yet this sp pectacular struccture is only the beginning; instantly, a softt shaft of light fa alls down upon itt, illuminatin ng the gentle fall of snowflakes a as a lithe femalee figure desccends from above, landing in thee midst of the icee. For a momeent, only her refleection is visible: delicate blue skkin covered in strange, inhum man markings, sscant scraps of protecting only h her modesty from m the elements, clothing p multiplied d into infinity by ccountless facets of ice. Then herr eyes ssnap open, shattering the frozen n carapace. Abilities Slap: The Essper sashays forrward before striking one foe surprisingly hard with an ice e‐cold palm. The e attack deals (REES x 5) or (DEX x 4) + 2d6 pointts of damage to one enemy. Glacial Sha ards: The ice godddess calls forthh frozen winds too sweep the b battlefield, creating Difficult Terrrain. Whenever a target takes Ice‐based damaage they are also o automatically urn. Creatures affected by the Slow status for their next tu with a Resisttance or better tto Ice magic are unaffected. Heavenly SStrike: Shiva reggards her target with a cool, disdainful gaaze. Judging the foe unworthy o of effort, she waves her hand and freezess the air above th he target into an n block of ice. The block drops and d inflicts (DEX x 8 8) enormous b + 2d6 pointss of crushing Ice damage – however, Shiva mayy no longer usse an Astral Flow w before being d dismissed. Heavenly SStrike: Blizzard, Blizzara, Elemental Spikes (Ice) and Wall are e all tricks this Essper possesses. Astral Flow w, Diamond Du ust: Shifting her stance for stability, Shiva gathers moissture from the aiir and concentrate es it into a dense e ball of ice. Whe en the ball burstts it unleashes a blast of pure ffrigid might, enccasing her enemies in aa tomb of frozen n walls. With the e snap of her fingers the ice prison shatte ers, leaving the e enemies of Shivaa shivering on n the ground and d suffering from a great deal of Ice damage;; (DEX x 9) + 2d6 6 points in all. Furthermore, all enemies dam maged by this atttack also receivve a Weakness to o Ice for the re emainder of com mbat. Special S Absorbs Ice,, Weakness to Fiire De evotion The Ice Q Queen who holdss a deep respectt for those who value family and friendship. Cold is this Essper’s anger and d swift herr vengeance to those who would d lay a hand on someone in ncapable of defe ending themselvves. Her Devotion is fulfilled iif the Summoner protects an inn nocent or a child d from the harsh truth and cruelties off the world. Pa act Gift Shiva’s gift of grace perman nently increases her Summoner’s DEX attribute by four points. 244 Asura Titan (Rank 2) (Rank 3) A deep rumbling is felt in the earth and the battleground is covered with a web of cracks and fissures. An immense muscular humanoid bursts out, covered with primitive tattoos and clad only with a loincloth. As dust and grit cascade off his body, Titan bellows with rage and glowers at those who would dare befoul the sanctity of the land. A woman floats serenely down from the heavens, bringing with her a sense of peace and balance. It becomes apparent that Asura is actually three bodies and three faces sharing a single head, all sitting in the lotus position back to back. The first is that of a lovely blonde woman, another is a woman with red skin and hair and a dark scowl on her face, and he final body is a woman with blue skin and light yellow hair, a vacant smile on her face as she playfully tosses a dagger from one hand to the other. Abilities Geocrush: The Esper marches across the battlefield before slamming its boulder‐sized fists into a foe. The attack deals (RES x 5) or (PWR x 4) + 2d6 points of damage. Debris Shower: Titan raises both arms, causing the earth itself to explode upward in a pillar of boulders and stone. Debris Shower deals (RES x 9) + 2d6 points of ARM damage to any enemy with Flight. Megalith Throw: The earthen giant picks up one or more willing allies in the palm of his massive rocky hand, draws back, and hurls them far into the distance. Megalith Throw moves that character a Long Range – the number of turns the character finds themselves in mid‐air is ultimately up to the GM, and although the hurled hero is considered to have the Flight status for the duration, Megalith Throw does not prevent the massive damage the character will undoubtedly suffer when they crash‐land. Guardian Golem: The Esper stabilizes its massive bulk and steps in front of one of the Summoner’s allies, ready to protect them from harm. Until the start of Titan’s next turn, all physical damage that would be taken by the ally is instead applied to the Esper instead ‐ without modifying for ARM and M.ARM as normal. Spells: Though not much of a spellcaster, Titan can nevertheless use Chivalry, Stone, Stona, and Magnetite Cloud Astral Flow, Earthen Fury: Titan plunges his powerful fists deep into the surface and, with a deep snarling grunt, rips loose a large slab of rock. Growling and bellowing to express his rage, Titan slams the slab upon the targets, inflicting tremendous Earth damage to all the Summoner's foes; (RES x 10) + 2d6 points worth. Earthen Fury also causes a short‐ range knockback. Special Abilities Miracle: Roll a 1d6. A roll of 1‐2 causes the Face of Yang effect. A roll of 3‐4 causes the Face of Yin effect. A roll of 5‐6 causes the Face of Asura effect. Face of Yang: The red‐skinned woman scowls at the party. A warrior by nature, she points her sword at them and urges them to defeat their enemies. The magic from this gift causes the party to deal one additional damage step with all spells and attacks until Asura uses her Miracle or Blessings of the Deity ability. Face of Yin: Asura spins, and the blue‐skinned woman with the vacant smile faces the party. She gestures toward them with her dagger, granting a feeling of peace and happiness. Along with the serenity comes (RES x 8) + 2d6 healing to all party members. Face of Asura: The face of the blonde woman looks gracefully upon the party. With a vague nod of her head, fallen comrades find new hope. Asura casts Life upon all Unconscious allies – and has a 50% chance to cast Life on all defeated foes, as well. Spells: Asura can cast Aspir, Seal, Freedom, Regen, Addle, Confuse, Invisible, Vox, Stop, Wall, and Time Slip. Astral Flow, Blessings of the Deity: The goddess of both peace and war offers her aid to the greatest combatant on the field, all three faces aligning in perfect harmony for only a moment. All enemies and allies make a Force check and a Finesse check. If the same character rolled higher than all other participants on both checks, they recover 100% of their HP and MP instantly, gain Auto‐Haste, Impervious, and Peerless until combat ends. Immunity to Earth, Resistant to Lightning, Resistant to Wind, Vulnerable to Water, Regeneration 20 Special Weakness to Holy, Weakness to Shadow, Controlled Defense Devotion Devotion As one might expect, the ponderous Titan is the guardian of the earth and is single‐minded in his ceaseless goal of protecting and reshaping the world. If the Summoner ever averts or causes a natural disaster without the aid of magic, Titan will be pleased and allows himself to be summoned for only one point of Destiny. Pact Gift Titan’s gift of tenacity permanently increases his Summoner’s RES attribute by four points. 245 The Esper Asura is the gatekeeper and queen of their land, challenging all who would seek the aid of the Summons. In time, she has learned to grow fond of those heroes with enough wit to overcome her in battle. Her Destiny cost is permanently reduced when the Summoner turns a major adversary’s own strengths against it in order to defeat it. Pact Gift Whenever the summoner uses a Teamwork Attack, they may roll three dice instead of two and discard one. Cerberus Fenrir (Rank 3) (Rank 3) A terrific howling is heard from the core of the earth. A gaping fissure opens in the ground, from which a tremendous three‐ headed dog leaps with a hideous snarl. Cerberus lands in front of the party, his three sets of fangs bared in a snarl. Dark clouds gather over the battlefield, turning day to night as a towering column of rock bursts forth from the ground. Suddenly, a howl rings out from on high. There atop the great rock face stands a majestic horned wolf, violet fur broken up by whorled tufts of white and gold that almost look like wings by what little light remains. Rearing his head back, Fenrir gives another howl and prepares to enter the fray. Abilities Poison Fang: Cerberus tears into a foe with sharp teeth, dealing (DEX x 4) or (PWR x 3) + 2d6 points of Shadow damage and Poisoning the target with a successful opposed roll. Ragdoll: Cerberus grabs one foe and hurls him into another as he rushes, causing chaos in the enemy ranks. This attack can only be used if at least two enemies exist on the field – the first target takes (DEX x 7) + 2d6 points of damage and is knocked back a Short Range. The second target takes (DEX x 5) + 2d6 points of damage and automatically receives the negative status effect Stop for one round. Flames of Acheron: All three mouths spew forth a gushing blast of magma, dealing (MND x 5) + 2d6 points of Fire damage to one enemy and all other targets within a Short Range of it. Sonic Drive: All three of Cerberus' heads look towards the same foe. A hideous barking emerges from all three throats ‐ the sound is so horrendous that the monster suffers from a sudden case of shaky knees. Make an opposed resistance check – success means the enemy suffers a penalty of ‐3 to his ACC and AVD scores until the end of their next turn. Spells: Cerberus has Temper, Thundara, Slow and Demi at his disposal. Astral Flow, Counter Rockets: Cerberus grants all party members one final boon – the ability to ‘bite back’ as he does. Until combat ends, each character may make one (possibly additional) Counterattack as though they were using a Brawl type weapon. Special Arcana Killer, Counterattack (100%), Magical Counterattack (50%) Devotion Cerberus is the watchdog of the underworld, fiercely guarding the gates to the land of the dead without pause in this ceaseless duty. He grudgingly respects those who have aided him in this thankless task, and has a reduced summoned cost for any character that has permanently defeated an enemy with the Undying monster property. Pact Boon The summoner no longer needs to eat, drink, or sleep in their eternal vigil, and Cerberus gains the following attack, which he may use in place of the Counter Rockets astral flow if the summoner so requests it; Astral Flow; Triple Fang: All three heads rip into a single enemy, dealing (PWR x 5) Fire damage, (MND x 5) Shadow damage, and (DEX x 5) Thunder damage. Abilities Crescent Fang: Fenrir charges down a foe, dealing (PWR x 7) + 2d6 points of damage. Howling Moon: The dark clouds part and allow a pale moon to shimmer into existence over the battlefield. Beams of light begin pouring down and envelope a single foe in their glow. Howling Moon deals (MND x 12) + 2d6 points of damage to any foe who is afflicted by the negative status effect Sleep. Eclipse Bite: Eclipse Bite deals (PWR x 6) + 2d6 points of damage, and with a successful opposed roll, the target receives a Weakness to Shadow and a Resistance to Holy until combat ends. If the target already has a Weakness to Shadow, they get a weakness to Holy instead and a Resistance to Shadow instead. Millennial Decay: One target suddenly finds their memories and abilities siphoning away. With a successful opposed Finesse rolls, the foe loses access to one spell or attack of the character’s choice for one round. Censure: Fenrir roars with an utter authority, turning to a single Beast‐type enemy into a mewling coward with his rebuke. Until combat ends, the target is treated as being level 1 (though their attributes and derived stats do not change), suffers a ‐4 penalty to opposed rolls, and must reroll the higher‐value dice on every physical attack roll made. Spells: Magnetite Field, Sprint, and Disable Astral Flow, Eclipse: With a fierce howl, Fenrir leaps from his perch and rockets towards the Summoner's foes at such speeds that his very form begins to blur into a comet of green energy. The wolf's body seems to separate into five ghostly images that whirl around the battlefield. Eclipse inflicts (PWR x 12) or (DEX x 12) + 2d6 points of damage to all enemies. Furthermore, once Fenrir is dismissed after using this ability, the summoner(s) gains the effects of Haste for several rounds. Special Resistant to Lightning, Resistant to Shadow, Beast Slayer Devotion The powerfully‐built Fenrir, father of all beasts, is willing to cooperate with those who have proven themselves to be the Alphas in their respective societies. Fenrir’s Destiny cost is lowered for a Summoner who has fought for and obtain a position of power in society, such as becoming the leader of a clan or taking the throne. 246 Pact Boon You permanently gain the Beast Killer property. Phantom Seraph (Rank 3) (Rank 3) An eerie stillness fills the air. Seemingly from nothing, a figure engulfed in dark mist appears and then disappears, fading in and out of existence. When Phantom can be seen, a translucent cloak covers its entire body, save for two glowing eyes. Phantom has no fear of Holy energies however, being the long‐dead spirit of a great force of good. The summoner bows her head and closes her eyes, imparting a prayer for assistance to the fates. As she does so, a golden beam of light shines down from above, and a winged woman wearing a rainbow‐colored robe descends from the sky to gently touch down before the summoner. Abilities Pearl Light: Phantom's cloak pulls back slightly from its face and a brilliant white light shines from its eyes. Whomever Phantom stares at with this pure light suffers (MND x 6) or (RES x 6) + 2d6 points of Holy damage. Silver Mist: Phantom creates a shining silver fog throughout the battlefield, the effects of which deal constant damage to unholy enemies. Silver Mist is difficult terrain that causes all Fiend and Undead‐type creatures lose 20% of their maximum HP at the start of each of their turns with a failed resistance roll. Undead destroyed in this method cannot resurrect as normal. Spells: Seal, Invisible, Barrier, Dia, Banish, X‐Zone, Teleport, Faith, and Life. Astral Flow, Eternal Shroud: Phantom's cloak spreads out to cover the entire party, granting them the same ghostly essence that it enjoys. Phantom's essence invigorates the party like a chill breeze, granting all allies the Flight and Invisible statuses until the end of combat. Special Resistant to Holy, Resistant to Shadow, Undead Killer, Flight, Final Attack: Pearl Light Devotion The hallowed spirit holds no love for other undead, and urges his summoners to seek out and destroy such abominations wherever they may dwell. Phantom will more willingly aid those Summoners who have permanently defeated a powerful Undead Notorious Monster or Boss. Abilities Lament: Seraph fires beams of multicolored light from somewhere beneath her rainbow robes, dealing (Finesse x 6) + 2d6 points of damage unless an ally is unconscious, in which case it deals (Force x 15) + 2d6 points instead. Lament ignores M.ARM. Healing Rain: Seraph gazes hopefully upwards and sings a single note. Light shines from the heavens and bathes a single party member in warmth, healing them of wounds. The target ally recovers (RES x 6) + 2d6 points of HP and also receives the effects of Regen. Angel Feathers: The Seraph floats over to one character, whispering words of power and stroking their hair. The target gains a Resistance to Holy and gains Flight until they suffer a critical hit, limit break, or are knocked unconscious. The effects of Angel Feathers can last for multiple game sessions. Spells: Seraph can easily cast Regen, Restore, Freedom, Dia, Escape, and Brave. Astral Flow, Angelic Anthem: Seraph spreads her wings and flies high into the air as an angelic chorus is heard from above. As her wings flap, feathers begin to slowly fall, showering the party. The feathers disappear as soon as they touch each party member, providing healing for the entire group. All members regain (MND x 10) + 2d6 points of HP, receive the effects of Regen until combat ends, and are simultaneously cleansed of negative status effects as per the White Mage spell ‘Esuna.’ Special Immunity to Holy, Weakness to Shadow, Flight, Regeneration 40 Pact Boon Devotion Phantom teaches his summoner how to walk toward the Farplane, to partially leave this world and enter an ethereal realm. All of the bonuses granted by the Invisible status increase to +5 instead of +3. Phantom also gains the following attack; Possession: Phantom makes an opposed resistance roll and, if he succeeds, flows into the body of a non‐Boss enemy target and inflicts them with the Charm status, even if they would normally be immune to it. While in this state, Phantom cannot be targeted or take damage from any attack. Continuing to maintain Possession is a standard action, meaning that the Esper may not use other spells or attacks while he inhabits another’s body. Possession ends when Phantom would use an Astral Flow or be dismissed, as normal. Seraph is a simple entity, urging her altruistic summoners to find happiness in whatever way they like. Seraph’s Destiny cost is reduced when her summoner helps someone else fulfill their Life Goal, so long as that goal does not involve destruction or bring harm to other people. Pact Boon Seraph grants her summoner a gift as a token of her friendship; a single angel feather that seems to purify the strange, tainted, and often‐wondrous items the character manages to scavenge along their journey. The Summoner may treat every Component as though it also had HP Restore, Remedy, Therapeutic and Resurrection on its list of properties. 247 Yojimbo Tritoch (Rank 3) (Rank 3) With the beating of feathery wings, the rainbow dragon Tritoch swoops down from the skies. Feathers and scales shimmer red, blue, gold and green in the light as he gently sets down on four short legs, taking your breath away. A tuft of iridescent fur tips the end of his twitching serpentine tail, a long tongue flicks from a beak‐like mouth and battle‐hardened eyes peer from beneath an ancient bronze helmet. A cloud of cherry blossoms fall from the sky as the heavens turn to night and a full moon appears overhead. Out of nowhere, a deep, guttural bark issues from the distance as a giant dog comes bounding in front of the summoner. Behind the dog, a giant swordsman wearing a wide‐brimmed hat and ornate clothing strides slowly forward. Yojimbo extends one hand towards his summoner, waiting for payment and another opportunity to display his mastery of the blade. Abilities Elemental Infusion (Special): Whenever Tritoch is targeted by an attack that would deal Fire, Ice, or Lightning damage, all damage dealt by Tritoch is then increased by two steps until he is dismissed. This bonus is cumulative – thus, after the fifth spell absorbed in this way, Tritoch will deal an additional (PWR x 10) damage Antipode: Rearing back his head, Tritoch lifts his wings and lets out a roar. Blue and red particles flow from his mouth, encircling the target in a whirlwind of fire and ice. The particles converge and cause a massive explosion as raging heat meets freezing cold. Antipode deals (PWR x 8) + 2d6 points of Fire or Ice damage that ignores MARM. Tritoch may use this ability on himself. Sanctuary of Thunder: Tritoch bestows his elemental gift on all members of the party, filling them with a strong electrical current and granting them all an Absorbency to Lightning until the end of the game session. Spells: Blizzaga, Thundaga, Firaga, Brave Astral Flow, Tri‐Nova: Taking to the air once more, Tritoch spreads wide his wings and whips his tail downward. Showers of energy rain from him onto the battlefield, engulfing the enemies first in searing flames, then freezing them in ice and finally unleashing a blast of thunder to shock the targets. Tri‐ Nova deals either Fire, Lightning, or Ice damage, depending on whichever element each target is most vulnerable to. However, there is a price for such a powerful attack. Tri‐Nova deals (PWR x 10) + 2d6 points of damage to all enemies as well as his summoner(s). Abilities Tribute: Yojimbo requires payment to use any ability. Daigoro (500 gil) ‐ Yojimbo is unimpressed by the sum offered and sends his dog to do the job. The ghostly hound Daigoro randomly attacks one enemy or ally for (PWR x 10) + 2d6 points of damage. Kozuka (2,000 gil)‐ Yojimbo is satisfied with the payment and reveals a set of well‐made knives that he deftly throws to inflict (DEX x 12) + 2d6 points of damage to one enemy. Wakizashi (10,000 gil)‐ Yojimbo is pleased by the payment and slashes at the targets. He pauses for a moment to wipe the blood from his blade before sheathing it and awaiting his next command, while the monsters are left to bleed out the inflicted (DEX x 15) + 2d6 points of damage. Astral Flow, Zanmato (Special) – If, at the time of Yojimbo’s departure, he has received 30,000 gil or more from the heroes, the Esper is silently elated with the sum offered and decides to perform his most impressive technique. With a sudden movement quicker than the eye can perceive, Yojimbo draws his katana and slashes at his targets, then returns the blade to its sheath. The enemies are motionless for a moment, and then one by one their heads roll off their shoulders and land at their feet with dull thuds, followed moments later by their twitching corpses. Make an opposed Finesse or Force roll with a +4 bonus – if successful, Zanmato instantly kills all normal foes and Bosses, even if the target is normally immune to instant‐death attacks. Final Bosses remain unaffected. Special If fighting a Final Boss, Yojimbo will not perform Zanmato and Resists Fire, Resists Ice, Absorbs Lightning, Auto‐Protect, Flight will instead use Wakizashi as his Astral Flow. Devotion Tritoch, having one been imprisoned inside a great block of ice for centuries, is grateful to his summoners when they prevent the same fate from befalling others. He costs fewer Destiny after the party orchestrated a jailbreak, released captives, or otherwise granted freedom to those denied it. Pact Boon Tritoch grants his summoner a small fraction of his Elemental Infusion power. Whenever the Summoner suffers Fire, Ice, or Thunder damage, their next damaging spell or attack is increased by two steps. Special Auto‐Life, Fiend Killer Devotion Yojimbo is a hardened mercenary, eschewing morals or other values for the sake of wealth. His Devotion is fulfilled if the summoner ever performs a task for someone else purely for the sake of money, and the size of fee leaves the asker penniless afterwards. Pact Boon The summoner may now sell Components. The standard going rate is equal to that of a Shield of the same Tier. 248 Anima Atomos (Rank 4) (Rank 4) A blackened metal chain plummets out of the sky, plunging into the ground with a thundering jolt. The chain retracts as it slowly pulls something out of the shadowed depths of the earth. More chains spring out of the earth, pulling themselves taut around the emerging figure, a strangely fish‐like creature who roars in impotent fury as she weeps boiling blood. This is the dark spirit Anima. A dark shadow envelops the battlefield as demon machine Atomos appears, its body barely more than a giant mouth hovering in the sky. A singular light glows deep in the void of its gaping maw, seemingly drawing in the surrounding light and causing the encroaching shadows. Its dark eyes flare open to survey those who the Summoner needs eliminated from existence, a thunderstorm of unreal proportions crackling across the sky behind it. Abilities Pain: Anima cries out to the battlefield as a drop of molten blood is flung from her eye upon the target. As the dark essence sears away at the target, the pure rage of Anima attacks their very spirit. In addition to causing (MND x 6) + 2d6 Shadow Elemental damage, Pain has a 50% chance to allow the Summoner to make an opposed roll against the enemy; if the roll is successful, the target is killed immediately. This secondary effect is considered an instant‐death effect and may not work on bosses. Soulful Scream: Anima’s lower head lets out a scream of anguish, causing all who hear it to fall to their knees in agony. The attack deals (MND x 14) + 2d6 Shadow Elemental damage to all targets in a Local area. Spells: Zombie, Death, Scourge, Demi, and Degenerator are favorites of Anima. Astral Flow, Oblivion: The chain binding Anima to the surface snaps free, sending Anima plunging back into the earth. The chains themselves drag the enemy party down with her, allowing them to meet Anima's other face, a monstrous crowned skeleton, whose chains are near breaking point. As the combatants sink deeper into the darkness, the bindings snap, and Anima's other half is freed. With two gaunt arms she begins to vent all the pain and suffering of her existence into a single foe, slowly at first before picking up speed, doing (MND x 16) + 2d6 Shadow Elemental damage to one enemy. Special Resistant to Shadow, Weakness to Holy, Auto‐Stop, Auto‐ Zombie, Auto‐Poison Devotion Despite her tortured appearance, Anima Sola seeks to take on the pains and the burdens of the world. Often, the only way to relieve someone of their suffering is through a permanent release. Her Devotion is fulfilled when Anima herself deals the killing blow to defeat a Notorious Monster or Boss who has become physically corrupted from power. Pact Boon Anima takes your life and holds it to her breast, protecting your worthy soul like a mother would protect a child. When a powerful enemy attempts to kill a fallen friend who has dropped to zero hit points, they must also succeed at an opposed resistance check in order to do so. Abilities Devastation: Atomos’ massive form encompasses almost the entire sky, and he is capable of reigning destruction down upon all he sees. Atomos jets forth a series of arcing lasers, striking the ground without aim or concern. Devastation deals (RES x 4) + 2d6 damage in a Local area. Disgorge: Something vast and strange plummets from Atomos’ gaping cross‐dimensional portal of a mouth, crushing targets and forcibly reshaping their bodies. Disgorge deals (MND x 3) + 2d6 points of damage to all enemies and, on a successful resistance roll, also inflicts the Transform status. Engulf: Atomos' hideous body turns to face one target. A powerful vacuum forms as its singularity pulls at the target, slowly sucking it inside. The target must brace itself quickly by making an opposed Force check, or be sucked into the dark void of Atomos' stomach and removed from the encounter as if forced through a Dimensional Gate spell. Though the target is not truly killed, Engulf is considered a Death effect and some bosses may be immune to this ability. Wormhole: Atomos sucks so hard at the edges of reality that he begins to ‘peel back’ the world and exposes something else underneath. The current battlefield is now treated as very unusual Difficult Terrain. All bonuses granted to AVD and ACC by abilities and spells are treated as negatives instead, and whenever an enemy or ally would normally roll a critical hit, their turn instantly ends, and they are affected with the Confuse status instead, even if they are normally immune to Confuse. Critical Hits and Limit Breaks now occur on rolls naturally resulting in a pair of 1s. Spells: Demi and Gravija. Astral Flow, G‐Force Infinity: The singularity inside Atomos is fully revealed as the center of a black hole, causing an immense pull on all the Summoner's foes. The intense vacuum effect deals (RES x 14) + 2d6 points of Non‐Elemental damage to all enemies and has a chance to draw them all into the deadly phenomenon, removing them from the current encounter. Make an opposed Force check – if successful, G‐ Force Infinity has the same effect as Engulf and pulls the targets through a abyssal portal to another dimension. 249 Special Indestructible (Takes zero damage from all sources), Flight, Construct‐Killer Devotion Atomos is mindless and has neither Devotion nor Pact Boon. Diabolos D Doomtrain (Rank 4) (Rank 4) With a dry, d dusty fluttering, a swarm of etheereal bats surrou und the summo oner and fly up tto form an immeense globe of pure darkness. SSilently, the dem monic Diabolos d descends from th his globe and flares his wing gs as he scans th he battlefield. Hee hungers, an nd all are his preey. The ringging of hauntingg bells suddenly ssounds, signaling the approa ch of the runaw way Doomtrain. A A series of pale w white train traccks crisscross thee battlefield as tthe ghostly train n chugs intoo view, it’s manyy undead passen ngers engaged in n converssation. Doomtraain carries the deeparted to…the o other side…andd it has been siggnaled to stop to o pick up a few m more…. Abilities A Camisado: Diabolos lungess forward, his claawed hands burning with h sickly purple flame, and rakes his talons through his chosen vvictim. No wound ds are caused, b but the victim can feel his veryy soul being shre edded away by th he attack. Camisado de eals damage equ ual to (1d6 x 10)) percent of the foe’s maxim mum health. The enemy can neve er be reduced to o 0 HP from thiss attack and will always be left w with at least 1 HP P. Camisado is considered a ‘D Death’ status effe ect. Dream Shrroud: Diabolos ssends an ally intoo a sleep filled w with dark visions; when they awaake, they do so w with the full forcce er at their dispossal. One ally is in nflicted with the of the nethe Sleep status. If the character is not immune to Sleep, they then gain th he effects of Shadow Enhancer and may choose to deal Shadow w damage with aany elemental sp pell instead of th he standard damage type. Spells: Poisson, Twilight, Bioo, Drain, Aspir, Shockwave Pulsaar, Curse, Virus, Dispel, Gravija Astral Flow w, Dark Messenger: The globee of blackness thhat acts as Diabolos' portal to th his realm implod des back into a swarm of ethereal bats whicch gracefully pivvot and fly through his enemies, causing no phyysical wounds bu ut hammering aw way e fading away an nd taking Diabolo os at their veryy essence before with them. SSouls of Darknesss deals damage e equal to (2d6 x 10) percent of the foe’s maxximum health. TThe enemy can duced to 0 HP from this attack aand will always b be never be red left with 1 H HP, even if 100% or more HP losss is rolled. Dark Messenger iis considered an n instant‐death sstatus effect, and d thus most Bosses will be immune to its effe ects. Special S w, Vulnerable to Holy, Flight Resistant to Shadow Abilities The Oth er Side (Speciaal): Any target bbrought to 0 hp from Doomtra in is killed instanntly. Their spirit boards the ghosstly train worrdlessly, never too be seen again.. Light at the End of thee Tunnel: One ffoe turn and shieelds their eyess from the brighht crimson floodlights mounted on Doomtra in’s demonic vissage, and must ssucceed at an op pposed resistancee check or be inflicted with Stun n and Fear until the end of th eir next turn. Thhis attack may only be used on Doomtra in’s first round into combat. Conducttive: The ghostlyy train tracks shoot up sparks ass Doomtra in’s spiked wheeels grind againstt them, dealing ((DEX x 7) points of Lightning dam mage to one tarrget. Last Calll: Doomtrain’s m mere presence b begins to close th he rift between life and death, bringing the livin ng one step closser to joining hiim. The hauntingg call of Doomtrrain’s whistle deals (MND x 112) + 2d6 points of damage to alll characters at 550% health orr less, friend or ffoe alike. Spells: M Mystify, Twilight,, Condemned, D Dimensional Gatee, Lv. ? Doom, Deegenerator, Eneervate Astral Fllow, Grand Traain: The train tracks lead Doomtrain onto a coollision course w with a targeted enemy. The phan ntom train pickks up speed befoore the collision,, and thousands of ghostly h ands reach out ffrom the window ws to grab at the foe and pull hhim inside the coonfines of the trrain. This attack deals (DEX x 144) + 2d6 points oof damage, causees a Medium Range knockbacck, and automatically inflicts thee negative statuss effects Bllind, Poison, Zom mbie, and Berserrk on the targeteed enemy w with no opposed roll. If the enem my is at 50% or leess health beefore damage is dealt, the statuss effects Seal an nd Stun are also i nflicted and all ppositive status eeffects are removed. Devotion D Special Diabolos u urges his summo oners to embracce their emotions, including the naturaal human respon nse of fear. To fulfill this Devotion, the individual summ moner or the party must choosse one type of enemy – Construct, Beast, Fiend, or so on. A All of those enem mies are considered to have the Fearsome p power and do on ne increased step of damage on all attacks against the summon ner. Resistannt to Shadow, Vuulnerable to Holyy, Controlled Deefense Devotion Doomtrrain is content w when it can fulfill its function; it costs one feweer Destiny to summon if a longsstanding and unw willing party member ever diies (Cheating Deeath doesn’t cou unt). Pact Boon Pa act Boon Diabolos gains HP Drain, and all other alllies participatingg P Drain propertyy while Diabolos combat also gain the HP remain ns summoned. Doomtrain ggains the following ability One W Way Trip: Make an opposed resiistance check aggainst one ennemy. If Doomtrrain wins, the target is inflicted w with Zombiee and suffers (DEEX x 8) + 2d6 points of damage. IIf the enemy w was already Zom mbied, this attackk deals 200% damage. 250 Knights of the Round Maduin (Rank 4) (Rank 4) Impressive in their armor, and carrying a fierce variety of weaponry, three warriors enter the field, standing firm before the summoner. One stands larger than the other two, a white dragon’s head printed upon the flowing crimson of his cape. All three hides their faces with thick visors, but you get the impression that they’re smiling jovially. Proud and strong, Maduin rides into battle on a wave of brilliant light. The humanoid Esper glows with a pale lavender light, his well‐muscled features and clawed appendages reminiscent of Ifrit. However, this unearthly warrior is peaceful and logical, adopting an oddly martial stance as he awaits for a command… Abilities Hero’s Resolve: The knights merrily give their summoners Abilities Riot Blade: Maduin’s hand snaps to his waist, drawing forth combat pointers, shouting useful bits of encouragement like ‘Keep that sword arm up,’ and ‘Try not to get stabbed in the face!’. Thanks to the Knights of the Round’s ‘training’, one hero gains the ability to automatically cause an Armor Break, Power Break, Magic Break or Speed Break automatically whenever they cause a critical hit. This effect lasts until the end of the game session. Eschaton: The call to charge is given and the three warriors advance, jostling each other playfully to be the first to strike out with their weapons. Swords flash, axes swing, spears twirl, and one enemy is struck for (PWR x 9) + 2d6 or (RES x 9) + 2d6 points of damage. Champion’s Call: The Knights raise their respective weapons high, displaying a confident camaraderie that inspires all who witness it. The Knights of the Round and all allies have their damage step increased by one step until the summon is dismissed, or two steps when the move is part of a Teamwork Attack. Champion’s Call may be used multiple times, increasing the damage steps each time. Spells: Between them, the trio of Knights know Consecrate, Curaja, Life, Barrier, Addle, Temper, Tetra, Protect, Shell, Brave, and Armistice. Astral Flow, Ultimate End: Being serious for a moment at last, the three legendary warriors wade through the enemies’ ranks and strike with such force that the targets may as well not have any protection. Eschaton deals (RES x 25) or (PWR x 25) + 2d6 damage to all enemies, ignoring M.ARM. a thin sword with lightning‐fast quickness. He darts forward and slashes one foe, dealing (PWR x 8) + 2d6 or (DEX x 10) + 2d6 points of non‐elemental damage. With a successful resistance check, Riot Blade also causes the Confuse status. Photon Impact: The warrior jabs his sword toward an enemy and thousands of razor‐thin beams of energy lance out, spiraling around one another in a kaleidoscope display of color and intensity. This attack may be used as an Instant action once each round, and with a successful opposed roll against one enemy, deals a flat (MND x 5) damage and grants the target a Vulnerability to any one element of the Summoner’s choice until the start of that creature’s next turn. Trance: Maduin’s strongest ability is the power to unlock a human’s innermost potential. The Esper absorbs a copious amount of MP, channeling it directly into a single party member. Until Maduin is dismissed that ally deals 200% damage with all attacks and spells, acts as though they possess the Break Damage Limit weapon property, and gains the Flight status. Trance can only be applied to one ally at a time and can never be used on Maduin himself. Spells: Maduin is no slouch when it comes to magic. He casts Haste, Reflect, Flare, Seal, Force Field, and Temporal Shift. Astral Flow, Chaos Wing: Maduin rises in the air and begins to glow with a lavender light, no longer able to contain the power that exists within him. Streaks of energy jet from his skin, burning the ground around him and all foes within Short Range for (PWR x 14) + 2d6 point of damage. In addition, any weapons or armor the targets may be wearing are destroyed without any resistance roll. When Chaos Wing ends, Maduin dissipates into a fine purple mist. Special Auto‐Protect, Controlled Defense Devotion Special The Knights of the Round embody the concept of strength in numbers, and proudly serve alongside those heroes who follow their lead. Their Devotion is fulfilled when the heroes unite a nation or huge group of people against a common cause, or rally an army to wage war. Auto‐Shell, Auto‐Reflect Pact Boon The Knights of the Round gain Fiend Killer, and their Summoner now treats the Paladin’s ‘Leadership’ job ability as though it was a Shared Ability, allowing them to take it regardless of their current job. Devotion Maduin has no fear and confidently believes himself – and his summoner companions – capable of doing things that have never before been accomplished. There are no boundaries for he and his allies. It takes only 3 Destiny to summon Maduin after accomplishing an Impossible skill check without spending Destiny. Pact Boon Strengthened by his faith in his summoner, Maduin adds Auto‐Protect and Imperil to his list of special properties. 251 Phoenix Alexander (Rank 4) (Rank 5) An ancient, ugly bird lands slowly on the ground before the summoner. It turns one sad eye towards the party before giving forth a beautiful song. Suddenly, the avian bursts into flames, still singing. Out of the conflagration, a giant bird covered in gloriously vibrant plumage soars suddenly into the sky. It spreads its wings in front of the summoner, and a beautiful circular rainbow appears briefly. Phoenix is once again reborn. The summoner closes her eyes and gives a small prayer, which is answered as a massive mechanical creature rises up behind her. Alexander, the holy guardian, towers over the battlefield, resplendent in brightly‐ornamented silver armor. It may be humanoid, but nothing below the waist can be seen above the ground. The arms are massive pillars, leaning against the ground, though no hands are visible. Perhaps the strangest thing about Alexander is what appears to be a palace on its wide shoulders, with towers sprouting high up over its head. Abilities Dying Star (Special): Phoenix detonates into a brilliant fireball when it is reduced to 0 hit points, dealing (PWR x 10) + 2d6 points of Fire damage to all targets in a Local area. Afterwards, Phoenix is instantly returned to 100% HP, remains on the battlefield as an unhatched egg and may continue to cast spells on each of its turns until it is automatically dismissed, but may not use its attacks or Astral Flow. Blaze of Life: Phoenix circles above the battlefield before diving forward, covering the entire area in a flame which spreads out from its wings. To the party, the flame does not burn; instead, it soothes the mind and calls unconscious comrades back to action, casting Life on all party members. The enemy, however, is scorched by the flame as it burns away their impurities, doing (RES x 12) + 2d6 Fire elemental damage to all enemies. Cleansing Fire: Phoenix’s feathers brush across a wounded ally’s face, instantly cleansing them of all negative status effects and granting them the ability to Absorb Fire until Phoenix is dismissed. Spells: Fira, Firaga, Melt, Auto‐Life Astral Flow, Rebirth: Phoenix circles above the battlefield again, singing its powerful song. Finally, it dives again, wreathing its entire body in flame. To the party, the flame feels glorious as it awakens their fallen comrades, casting Full Life on all party members. To the opponents, it feels as though the sun has descended to incinerate them for (RES x 14) + 2d6 Fire elemental damage. Special Abilities Ray of Light: A thin beam of light shines from Alexander's visor onto all enemies. The beam pulses with red energy as it begins to trace a glyph, weaving ever faster as it grows nearer to completion. Once etched, the beam expands to fill the glyph and burns all foes for (PWR x 20) + 2d6 or (MND x 20) + 2d6 Holy Elemental damage. Bastion: Crushing parapets strike one foe for (RES x 25) points of damage. If any damage was willingly redirected from one ally to another during the enemy’s previous round, such as from a Paladin’s Cover ability or between the partners of a Teamwork Attack, Bastion also instantly grants the Regen status to all allies. Perfect Soul: Alexander grants a fragment of his nature to one character. The character becomes Impervious until Alexander is dismissed. Perfect Soul cannot be used on a target already suffering from a negative status effect. Spells: Holy, Dispel, Aura, Brave, Curaja, Lux, Tetra Astral Flow, Holy Judgment: Alexander shudders and clanks as a pair of immense feathered wings emerge from its back, shattering metal and stone. The wings beat slowly in the air as a ball of holy energy is formed in front of Alexander's body. Suddenly the wings stop, and the ball splits into thousands of thin streams of energy, spiraling around the battlefield until, one by one, each plunges into a different enemy. The energy explodes within the targets and sears them all for extreme Holy elemental damage; (RES x 40) + 2d6 points worth. Special Auto‐Life, Flight, Immune to Fire Indestructible (Takes zero damage from all sources), Undead Killer, Fiend Slayer, Break Damage Limit Devotion Phoenix grants his boon to those who can survive the impossible, rising from the ashes as it does. It has a permanently reduced cost whenever two or more heroes use Blaze of Glory or Cheat Death in a single game session. Pact Gift After Phoenix’s devotion is fulfilled, it may use its Rebirth astral flow even if it has been defeated and turned into an egg by its Dying Star ability. Phoenix now also Absorbs Fire instead of only being Immune. Devotion Alexander seems an alien and incomprehensible entity, but its goals are simple for anyone who takes time to listen. It becomes easier to summon once the character(s) become recognized as the heroic saviors of a city. Pact Gift The Summoner is always treated as though they possess the effects of the Glowing and Fortified properties on their equipment, encircling them with light and increasing their ARM and M.ARM values by 50%. 252 Bahamut Odin (Rank 5) (Rank 5) The beating of massive wings can be heard as the First Sire swoops onto the battlefield and settles in front of the summoner, unleashing a roar loud enough to break the heavens. The Dragon King has come, demanding you fall to your shaking knees in awe of his power. The sky above the Summoner and her allies darkens as the sound of a horse's gallop is heard. A gigantic form shimmers into view; a muscular and fearsome man atop an eight‐legged horse, bearing a sword gleaming red. Abilities Impulse: Bahamut raises his scaled hands, both of them burning and rippling with surging power. When he slams his hands together it direct the unleashed explosive energy over all enemies, crushing them for (PWR x 20) + 2d6 points of non‐ elemental or Fire damage, whichever would be more effective. Sundering Claw: The Dragon‐King rips through a fragile target, destroying their armor instantly with no opposed roll and dealing (DEX x 15) + 2d6 or (PWR x 20) + 2d6 points of damage. If both dice display the same number for this attack roll – such as a pair of ones, or fours – the attack is considered to be a critical hit and deals 200% normal damage. Ordeals Overcome: Bahamut lets loose a mighty roar, granting all allies the effects of Break Damage Limit and Overdrive until the end of the game session. Spells: Tornado, Quake, Brave, Flare, Demi, Gravija Astral Flow, Mega Flare: The lord of all of summoned monsters picks up a single target before flight and beginning to soar into low atmosphere. Higher and higher he climbs before leaving the planet completely. He opens his great jaws wide and begins to collect cosmic energy…then, using the force of a primal roar that would be undoubtedly deafening outside of the silence of space, he unleashes this sphere of pure magical energy. The blast sends the catastrophic vortex of magic ‐ as well as the unfortunate soul tumbling along with it ‐ back through the clouds, propelled into the earth with the force of a detonation large enough to be seen on the horizon from thousands of miles away. When the smoke clears, all that remains is a great crater and the body of the enemy in the middle, having suffered (PWR x 80) + 2d6 damage from this mighty attack. Abilities Atop a Pale Horse (Special): Due to Sleipnir, Odin’s immortal mount, this Esper may move up to a Long Range every round while still remaining able to attack. Blinding Speed: The reaving rider chases down a target, dealing (DEX x 20) + 2d6 points of Shadow damage to the target and Blinds the target on a successful resistance check. Blinding Speed deals 200% damage is the target has tried to escape the battle. The Rider Cometh: Odin turns his gaze upon a single target, gaining a +2 bonus to opposed rolls against them. This effect is cumulative; after using The Rider Cometh three times, Odin would have a +6 bonus to opposed rolls. Atom Edge: Odin sizes up one opponent, studying his strengths and weaknesses. In a flash, he urges his horse Sleipnir into a gallop, slicing into the foe with a force strong enough to cleave a weak monster in two instantly. With a successful opposed roll at a ‐2 penalty the target is instantly sliced in twain, reducing its HP to 0 regardless of current HP. If the target is immune to instant‐death attacks, the force of the blow does (DEX x 25) + 2d6 damage instead. Astral Flow, Zantetsuken: The sky above the summoner becomes darker as Odin draws his sword and readies himself. In a flash, he begins galloping forward, using his momentum to deliver a mighty slash to all foes, inflicting dire damage and possibly slicing his foes in two. Make an opposed roll against each creature on the field; a success means that they are immediately killed. This ability works on all creatures, including Notorious Monsters and Bosses. Special Devotion Flight, Humanoid Slayer, Resistance to all Elements except Holy, Break Damage Limit, SOS‐Haste Nihilistic and remorseless, Odin’s obsidian blade seeks only destruction to his enemies and send their souls to Valhalla. In the end, there will be nothing; no future. No hope. Any character capable of summoning Odin may fulfill the Esper’s Devotion by choosing to abandon their Life Goal. This futility actually manifests as a supernatural pact; The character will never be able to accomplish this former Life Goal, even if they later regret their choice. Devotion The Hallowed Father only obeys the strong and is quick to spurn the commands of any mortal he deems unworthy. His gift is granted to those who defeat Bahamut himself in combat, or who undertake a dangerous quest to retrieve an item of his choosing. Pact Gift Pact Gift The character grows a single spiral horn from their forehead, having been officially welcomed into the world of the Espers. This horn marks the character as an ally though it is not magical unto itself. Once per game session, the character may perform any Summon for no associated Destiny cost, even Espers the Summoner does not possess as an ally. A creature summoned in this manner may not use their Astral Flow ability. Though Odin’s profane gift permanently grants his Summoner one Limit Ability from any Job of their choice and a +4 bonus to any attribute, the now‐empowered character will never achieve a truly happy ending to their story. 253 CHA APTE ER VIII: V B BEST TIAR RY "I’v ve done it! I’ve created c a mons ster! Come on,, kiddo! Help m me celebrate!" er Arena Owne er - Monste The old adaage maintains that good cannot exist witho out evil. Nowheere is this morre true than in the worlds of Final Fantasy, where the road to one’s destin ny is paved witth the bones off evil, raveningg, and outrightt bizarre foes. TThis ntains a sample e of sample mo onsters and villains, as well aas rules for con nstructing yourr own. section con BuildiingaBea ast So. You waant to make a m monster, huh? As with cre eating characte ers, this is a fairly quick proce ess that provid es a lot of custtomization while still remaining within a fraamework of rules. The first sttep is to decide e what it is, paainting in broad d generalities. Is it a small, qu uick fairy with m magical attackss? Or is it a hulking Behemoth with incredibble physical strrength? Once yyou’ve got the basic idea down,, go through eaach of the follo owing sections in turn, makinng notes aboutt your monsterr as you go. Attitud de How will yo our monster re eact to the playyers when the inevitable enccounter takes p place? Knowingg a creature’s attitude offers a useful yaardstick for deciding how the e encounter m ight develop frrom there. Alth hough most opponentss the heroes wiill face are probably going to be Hostile, it’ss still good to kknow your options; pick one of the four catego ories below. Frriendly monstters offer advicce, directions, items, or healing, dependingg on the circumstance es. Some may expect compeensation for theeir troubles, w while party for free. They tend to b be shocked and d emotionally hurt if others help the p the party attackss them, and geenerally will tryy to escape instead of fighting baack. Neutral monstters are passivee, and will retaaliate only if threatened. Whiile they won’t go ou ut of their wayy to help the players, they wo on’t attempt to o nder them eith her. If not attaccked or otherw wise intimidateed and intelligeent hin en nough, they maay be willing too barter or offeer their assistance in exchangge for paayment or som me other small ffavor. Wary W monsterss won’t pouncee on the playerrs outright, but it won’t take much ned by the parrty, to provoke theirr ill‐will. If they y feel even a little bit threaten they will almost certainly be thhe first to attacck. Wary monssters are more likely whelming oddss than hostile o ones. to consider fleeing from overw Ho ostile monsteers will attack tthe characterss on sight, regaardless of the cirrcumstances and odds. This m may be for a w wide variety of reasons, ranging fro om an outrightt evil nature too simple hungeer. 254 MonsterDifficulty Once you’ve established how aggressive your monster is, we need to decide what sort of challenge the monster will present to the party, as well as its importance to the story. Choose only one of the following; Normal monsters are cannon fodder, and should make up around 75% of the opponents the group runs into during the course of their adventures. However, this does necessarily not mean that the players will have an easy time with them. Notorious monsters are a step up, representing grizzled veterans and one‐of‐a‐kind creatures. Notorious monsters are usually encountered every two or three games. Unlike normal monsters, Notorious monsters and their superiors can have quite developed personalities, and should make for a memorable encounter if handled correctly. Bosses usually appear during an adventure's climax, and should be typically be constructed as an epic showdown that requires resources, teamwork, and quick‐thinking to overcome. End Bosses are the players’ most powerful archenemies. These are typically only encountered after a series of adventures, if not the end of a full‐fledged campaign, and tend to be an integral part of the game’s ongoing storyline. They count as Bosses whenever the book refers to such. Once you’ve established that, it’s time to choose the monster’s level. As with PCs, monsters have a level from 1 to 15 that reflects their overall experience and toughness. The monster’s level should generally be equal to the average level of the party it is intended for; a level 5 party, for instance, will generally be best off facing level 5 monsters ‐ though a GM who wants to challenge experienced players might go a little higher, and a group who wants their game to be a little less challenging might prefer slightly lower ones. Category Once you’ve got the basic idea for your monster down, it’s time to start the actual construction. While characters have Jobs that give them starting abilities and help determine their hit points, magic points, and starting abilities, Monsters have a similar idea based on what species they belong to. Select one or more of the fourteen Monster Categories outlined below; in design terms, each offers a broad template from which the finer details of the monster can be worked out. If you want to build a monster that’s a member of multiple different species, that’s not only easy to do but also actively encouraged. Simply choose their ‘primary’ species for the purpose of figuring out attributes, but make sure that the creature also has all the pros and cons of all the other species it represents. For example, if Adam wanted to create a spectral and sentient Ghost Ship, he might decide that it’s an Undead first and foremost. He’d therefore calculate the creature’s HP based on the Undead entry. This monster would gain Auto‐Zombie for being Undead, and an immunity to Fear and Poison thanks to its construct side. All of the monster categories can be found over the following two pages 255 h the power to defy gravity, Monsters with usually thro ough wings, bu ut occasionallyy through moree exotic mea ans, such as infflated bladders, s, gas sacs, or magic. monsters have the Flight abiliity, making the em All Aerial m immune to o damage from m earth‐based aattacks and spe ells. They also ttend to have a weakness to LLightning and aa resistance to Wind, and A Aerial creature es are the most likely species to use the Inhale power. HP: 40 Base ACC: 1 B Bonus H Bonus MP: 2 Base AVD: 6 B Water‐dwelliing monsters. Though usuallyy nt, they may only encountered in theirr native elemen occasionallly venture onto o dry land to teerrorize its denizens. Best‐known as users of Submerge and sufferers of a d to weakness tto Lightning, the dwellers of the deep tend be vicious aand alien, and almost alwayss have the Specific Ha abitat (Water) ability due to ttheir struggle tto breathe on n the surface. Itt is also generaally more common to o see Large pre edators in the depths of the ssea than roamiing the surface e. Schools of fissh or sentient coral reefs are best‐descrribed with the Swarm property. HP: 40 Base ACC: 1 B Bonus H Bonus MP: 2 Base AVD: 7 B The ‘natural’’ inhabitants off the world. by Includes monstrous animals and other ffauna twisted b magic. en move in paccks, herds, or w work together Beasts ofte when they hunt to bring down prey. Th hey’re notable for being the sspecies most likkely to Call Forr Help as well aas to be found d naturally skittterish and Waary. Because th hey rarely use m magic and tend d to overcome e adversaries w with physical force, they also ttend to lash baack at their attack. Those tthat hibernate in aggressors with Countera emonstrate this the cooler months of the year might de akness to Ice. with a wea HP: 30 Base ACC: 3 B Bonus H Bonus MP: 2 Base AVD: 6 B Shapelesss monsters with no discernibble anatomyy, instead com mposed of a sing gle viscous ma ass. It’s difficcult to target their weak poin nts since they d don’t really haave any; this is generally reprresented by the Unusuall Defense or Co ontrolled Defeense propertiees. Some Am morphs may be capable of sh hifting from on ne Form too another, otheers still use Mu ultiple Parts to baffle heir gelatinous their eneemies, and stilll others use th bodies tto absorb enem mies by Inhalin ng them. Amorphh enemies often take extra daamage from Eaarth. us HP: 40 Base ACC: 1 Bonu Bonu us MP: 10 5 Base AVD: 5 mposed of puree of near‐pure Being com magical l energy. he species, arccane The mosst potent spellccasters of all th enemiess generally take the upper haand in combat through the use of Maagical Counteraattack, Elemen ntal me cases, even Flawless Spell.. Their Immunitty, and in som elementtal weaknessess and strengthss are as varied as the speccies itself. us HP: 30 Base ACC: 0 0 Bonu Bonu us MP: 15 6 Base AVD: 6 ificial creationss, animated byy Artif technoloogy or magic. IIncludes such sseries stalwartss as golems aand robots. All Cons truct monsterss are automatiically immune to oison and Zombie. Regeneration and Contrrolled Fear, Po Defensee are also comm monly used to represent construccts capable of repairing them mselves, or thro owing up energgy shields to defend themselves – but shield or not, mosst have a stron ng reaction to LLightning attaccks. This elem ment might eitther overload aa construct….o or charge itt up. Construccts are the mo ost likely startin ng species to b be built as aa Vehicle, for o obvious reason ns. us HP: 40 Base ACC: 1 Bonu Bonu us MP: 2 6 Base AVD: 6 256 Monstrous reptiles with a serpentine bent. Covers the classic winged d dragons as w well as their und relatives. ground‐bou Powerful and deadly adversaries, Drago ons often winggs – ore Flight – and are generallyy associated w with and therefo one specific element. This might grant tthem an n Elemental Immunity or aan inclination to use a certain mmon to see type of elemental attack.. It isn’t uncom ns toting aroun nd particularlyy ancient and ggrouchy dragon Final Attaccks, and some m members of th his species have e earned the eir Fearsome ability. HP: 60 Base ACC: 0 B Bonus H Bonus MP: 5 Base AVD: 5 B Supernaatural opponennts serving the cause of evil, ggenerally highlyy adept with th he use of magiic. All Fiendds monsters haave an Elemental Weakness to Holy. Ass the most thorroughly vile sp pecies that exissts, extremeely high‐level FFiends are often Bosses with the Undyingg or Fearsome abilities. Manyy utilize illusionary magic too take a less th hreatening form m, such as a nondesccript humanoid d or even a paiinting or other inanima te object. us HP: 40 Base ACC: 1 Bonu Bonu us MP: 10 5 Base AVD: 5 Creaturees of relativelyy ‘normal’ proportions and modest iintelligence. oids have an elemental Weakness to Shado ow All Humano and tend to o stay in the Neutral to Waryy attitudes; it’s rare to find d a humanoid tthat’ll fight to tthe death on sight, witho out ever think of backing dow wn or cutting aa deal. Swarms of humano oid enemies are e common, as are Use, Job Abilityy, those who battle with the aid of Item U nions. or Call Min HP: 40 Base ACC: 2 B Bonus H Bonus MP: 5 Base AVD: 6 B nd mutated pla ant matter as w well Animated an as carnivorous plants. as natural hazards such a Status Touch is commonplace among the war‐wagingg weeds, sen ntient shrubbery and vicious vegetation thaat can threate en an unsuspecting adventurring troupe, especially p poisonous or p petrification‐ind ducing strains.. Quite a few w prefer one ve ery Specific Haabitat such as Forest, Swaamp or Plains, and almost all plant‐type creatures ssuffer from a w weakness to Firre. Those that don’t are ggenerally weakk to Ice instead. HP: 40 Base ACC: 1 B Bonus H Bonus MP: 5 Base AVD: 6 B Insects of of every shape a and size, typica ally protecteed by tough, chhitinous shells. Seeing ttens of thousan nds of buzzing insects movingg in a might be consiidered dangero ous, but Swarm m experiennced adventurrers know that the real threatt lies in Large r specimens th hat fight with eevery natural Multiweapon aat their disposaal. stinging and slashing M Althoug h most insectss don’t take weell to Ice damage, protective shells to grant them quite a ffew use their p Improveed Defenses in n combat situattions. us HP: 30 Base ACC: 0 0 Bonu Bonu us MP: 2 9 Base AVD: 9 The livinng dead are crreatures reanim mated by foul ssorcery or supeernatural circum mstance. Undead monsters all rreceive the Autto‐Zombie stattus, of curative maggic, draining efffects, reversinng the effects o her things. and a m ultitude of oth nity or Many unndead creaturees gain a Resisstance, Immun even an Absorbency to Shadow dam mage, and just as mage. And finally, all many haave a Weaknesss to Holy dam Undead are Immune tto Poison. us HP: 30 Base ACC: 1 Bonu Bonu us MP: 10 6 Base AVD: 6 257 AttributesandDefenses Once you’ve got the basics figured out, it’s time to get into the number‐crunching. Like characters, monsters have four Attributes: Power, Dexterity, Mind and Resolve. You receive a set number of points based on the monster’s difficulty and level to spend however you like, so long as no attribute is left at 0 (The exception to this is enemies with the Vehicle ability, who can have a MND score of 0 without penalty). Normal Monsters have the standard (Level + 24) points to allocate between the four stats. GMs are encouraged to consider not using all of these potential points if it doesn’t make sense for the monster. Notorious Monsters instead get (Level + 35) points to allocate between the four stats. Bosses use a total of (Level + 45) points to allocate between the four stats. End Bosses possess (Level + 60) points to allocate between the four stats. Once you’ve written down the base attributes, follow the rules below to determine all the other derived stats of your beast. To calculate a monster’s Maximum Hit Points, add their RES score with the HP Bonus granted by their Species, and multiply the total by their Level. If the creature is a Notorious Monster, then double this number. If the creature is a Boss, multiply the value by 4. An End Boss multiplies it by 5 instead. For example, Chappu decides to build a big, scary Dragon boss. Since she’s decided this creature will be designed to challenger her level 12 party, she makes it at the same level and thus has 57 stat points to allocate. She decides 18 of these will be going into RES. Combining that with the automatic 60 health per level it gets for just being a Dragon, her monster has 78 base health. Then she multiplies that by 12 – the creature’s level – for a total of 936 health, and then multiples THAT by 3 because the Dragon will be a boss. She comes up with a total of 3,744, but decides to just round that to 3,700 so that it’ll be easier for her to keep track of. To calculate a monster’s Maximum Magic Points, add their MND score with the MP Bonus granted by their Species, and multiply the total by their Level. If the creature is a Boss, then double this number. If the creature is an End Boss, triple this Value. Just like before, Chappu takes a look at her dragon’s stats to determine its magical might. Dragons have a bonus of 5 MP/Level, and her creation has 9 MND for a starting total of 14. That 14 is multiplied by the dragon’s level for a total of 168, and then doubled because the Dragon is also a Boss – 336 MP isn’t anything to sneeze at, that’s for sure! To calculate a monster’s AVD and ACC scores, add their half their level, rounded down with the Bonus granted by their Species. If the creature is a Notorious Monster, both these scores get a +1 bonus. Bosses and End Bosses enjoy a +2 bonus instead. Dragons really suffer when it comes to these last few scores, with 0 ACC and 5 AVD normally. Each of these stats gets a +6 bonus because of the creature’s level, however, and an extra +2 on top of that for being a Boss. At the end of the day, neither the 8 base ACC nor 13 AVD is one of the creature’s strong points. Don’t forget to calculate your creature’s Force and Finesse attributes; just like a character, these are the sum of either PWR and RES or DEX and MND, divided by 4. They'll be used a lot in opposed checks and resistance rolls. 258 The second d‐to‐last last sttep is to figure out the beast’’s armor and m magical armor, and Chappu needs to consult a chart for th his one. She kn nows that she ggets a flat num mber of points, which she can n allocate betw ween the two sccores any way sh he likes; howevver, splitting th hem evenly (or close to evenlly) between the two helps to o make sure thaat the members o of the group who AREN’T heaavy hitters will still be able too actually deal damage. Monster Levvel Armor Poiints 1 5 2 6 3 8 4 11 5 15 6 20 7 27 8 35 Monstter Level Armor Points 9 50 10 65 11 85 12 110 13 140 14 175 15 215 p leans toward dealing heavy magical damaage, and she wants her drago on to be able to o Chappu knows her group ovas. So she taakes the 110 arrmor points sh e has availablee and gives herr boss an ARM score withstand a few heavy no way, the group Paladin who iss still using a lo ow‐Tier weapo on will still be aable of 40 and aan M.ARM scorre of 70. This w to help whittle the boss d down, and the party mages w won’t instantlyy turn it into assh. out ready to ge et into the nexxt section; all s he needs to do o now is figuree out how well her Finally, Chaappu is just abo dragon rea acts to the vvarious elem ments and status effectss. After all, eveery opponent hhas a weaknesss, and Chappu’s d dragon is no exxception. There are 8 8 elements, each of which wiill be representted by an icon on the samplee monster stat blocks later on in this chapte er; Earth ( ),, Fire, ( ), Ice e ( ), Lightnin ng ( ), Wateer ( ), Wind ( ), Holy ( ), and Shadow w ( ). Whenever you makke a monster, yyou must choo ose two eleme ents for the ccreature to have a Vulnerabiility to (takingg 50% more damage from eacch), or one eleement the beeast has a Weeakness to (taaking double dam mage from it). Then, you also o get to pick tw wo elements tthe creature Resists, or on ne element th hat it is Immune e to complete ely. There are aalso fifteen diffferent types off negative status ailments. Allthough there’s no hard and fast rules heree, most of the e time, a monsster can be affe ected by any of them unless yyou can think of a good reasson why it wou uldn’t make sense e – for example, you probably wouldn’t be 4able to Petriffy a sentient to ornado. All Notorrious Monsterss and Bosses arre automatically Immune to Transform and d Charm. Such creatures are also usually immune – or at least very resistant – to instant‐death induccing attacks, an nd they alwayss possess the ‘Break m to do more thhan 999 damagge in a single rround. Damage Limit’ property, allowing them 259 Abilities With the monster’s basic attributes and defenses covered, the second‐to‐last step is to further customize it with monstrous abilities – just like how characters are further defined with Job and Shared abilities! A monster gets a number of abilities equal to half its level (rounded down, but as always, never below one). So a first‐level monster would have one ability over and above the ones automatically granted (or forced upon him!) by his species, and a 13th level monster would have six! Abilities are divided into two broad types – Biological Abilities and Combat abilities. The main difference is that Combat Abilities are usually a little bit better, but they can be ‘turned off’ if the monster is afflicted by the Seal status or hit with a Teamwork Attack. Several job abilities can also do this. Biological Abilities Regeneration: The monster’s skin is constantly healing and its injuries knitting, and it regains HP at the start of each of their rounds equal to their level. This ability may be taken multiple times, increasing the value by the same amount each time. So, a tenth‐level creature that has taken this ability 5 times would have Regeneration 50! Skitterish: The monster calculates their AVD score as 1/4th of their DEX plus the bonus granted by their job, instead of half their level plus the base value. This gives a slight advantage to extremely quick‐moving creatures. Flight: The monster is capable of flight, putting it out of reach of most weapons and giving it greater maneuverability in combat. Short‐range weapons suffer a ‐4 penalty to hit flying creatures. Unusual Defense: Due to some racial characteristic, the monster takes either half damage from Physical attacks and 200% damage from Magical attacks, or vice versa. If combined with Shell and Protect, the damage sustained from attacks might be as low as 25%. Controlled Defense: As Unusual Defense, but the monster may shift forms at will as an Instant action. The GM must describe that this is being used in some fashion, whether it be a change of color or shape or something more subtle, and the description must be consistent as the battle continues. A Monster must have Unusual Defense before it can also take Controlled Defense. Multiple Parts: The monster is made up of several separate entities ‐ the main body, which has normal HP, and up to two other parts. The total HP of the extra parts adds up to half the HP of the main body (for example, a creature with 100 HP might have two parts with 25 HP each). The monster dies if the main body is destroyed, but the additional parts can often make this difficult. Each additional part allows the main body to take one additional Standard action each turn while it remains active, and Multiple Parts are immune all status effects (both positive and negative). By spending a single point of Destiny after at least 1 round has passed, the monster may revive a destroyed Part as an Instant action. The creature gains one additional Part each time this ability is taken. Swarm: Swarms are groups of literally dozens ‐ or even hundreds, or thousands! ‐ of individual enemies that can surround and close in on the heroes. Swarms act as a single unit, such as teams of imperial soldiers or armies of shambling undead. Spells, attacks and abilities that effect only a Single target deal half damage to a Swarm, and Swarms are Immune to all status effects and Knockback effects that only target a single enemy. Conversely, spells, attacks and abilities that damage an entire enemy group, or all enemies within a specific range, deal double damage to a Swarm. Impervious: An ability generally only possessed by bosses, Impervious grants an Immunity to every negative status effect except those that have been specifically listed. A good GM will generally leave the monster vulnerable to a select few status effects despite Impervious. Fearsome: The monster is terrifyingly powerful. Whenever a character wishes to make an attack against the creature, they must succeed at a resistance check (generally an opposed Finesse roll). If they succeed, they may attack the monster freely until the start of their next turn. If they fail the check, they are affected by the Fear status until the start of their next turn instead. Only Notorious Monsters and Bosses may be Fearsome. Large: The monster is huge, making it Immune to Knockback and the action‐interruption that knockbacks normally cause. Just remember that size doesn’t mean an awful lot in the world of Final Fantasy; small monsters are just as capable of dealing out grievous damage as large ones. Swift Strikes: This Biological ability allows the monster to calculate all their physical attack damage with their DEX attribute instead of their PWR. 260 Undying: After an Undying creature is killed, they return to life (or undeath, in some cases) after a varied period of time, ranging anywhere from several minutes to several years. Some White Magic spells can stop Undead enemies with this ability, and the Red Mage’s Seal Evil ability can handle more fearsome adversaries who possess it. There is generally one condition that can be met to cancel out the Undying property, though we don’t list what it might be in individual entries and instead leave this up to your imagination. Perhaps an entity who has immortalized themself in a painting can be subject to the normal rules of death if he or she ever gazes upon their painted likeness, or perhaps only a certain magical sword can stop the reign of terror caused by a shape‐shifting master of darkness. Vehicle: The monster – which is almost always a Construct – can allow one smaller creature to ride on top or inside of it. The riding may not take Standard or Slow actions while inside of the Vehicle, but they gain the Vehicle’s entire ARM and M.ARM scores as a bonus to their own defenses, and an individual has a +4 bonus to AVD while ‘piloting’ a vehicle monster. Specific Habitat: The creature is generally only adept at fighting in the type of terrain it is most used to; this might be a arid, sandy Desert, a dense temperate Forest or jungle, a place of extreme heat and Lava such as the inside of a volcano or the earth’s core, a fetid Swamp known for its muddy and unstable ground, a rocky Mountain highland, the large and unbroken stretches of rolling grasslands and Plains, a large natural body of Water, a Town or other area of civilization such as ancient ruins or a dungeon, a cold and Snow‐covered tundra characterized by extreme temperatures and sparse vegetation, an Underground cave, tunnel, or mine, or even an inter‐dimensional site outside of the normal boundaries of realities, dubbed by scholars as a ‘Cosmic’ location. When the creature is fighting in the type of location specified in its Specific Habitat, they gain either a +2 bonus to its AVD score or its ACC score, chosen at the time this ability is taken. When in any other habitat, this is treated as a ‐2 penalty to ACC or AVD, instead. Some types of Difficult Terrain or Elemental Fields might count as a certain type of terrain for the purpose of this ability, at the GM’s discretion. There’s no reason to claim that a battlefield flooded after a massive tidal wave couldn’t be counted as Water terrain, for example. Elemental Immunity: The creature takes no damage from one additional elemental type; an element the creature is already Weak or Vulnerable to cannot be improved upon with this ability. Elemental Absorption: One of the creature’s elemental immunities is transformed into an Elemental Absorbency instead; all attacks dealt to the creature by that element restore HP instead of reducing it. Improved Defenses: Choose either ARM or M.ARM when this ability is taken; that particular defense is increased by 50%. This could theoretically be taken multiple times, increasing the defensive value by 50% each time. If you’re the GM, combining this ability with Unusual Defense or Controlled Defense is a surefire way to have projectiles angrily lobbed at your head. Elaborate Attacks: The creature may build its secondary attacks as though its Finesse score was 1 higher than it really is. This may be taken multiple times. Combat Abilities Counterattack: The monster has a 25% percent chance to counterattack any physical attack against it with a normal attack. If this ability is taken more than once, the Counterattack chance increased by an extra 25% each time, all the way up to 100%. Magical Counterattack: The monster has a flat 25% chance to counterattack any magical attack against it with an Instantly‐ casted spell. A Magical Counterattack cannot be taken if the monster is already in the middle of a Slow action, and this can be taken multiple times to increase the odds of a counterattack by an additional 25% each time. Final Attack: When reduced to 0 hit points, the monster may use any one pre‐determined spell or attack for as an Instant action. Final Attack will fail if the monster doesn’t have enough MP to cast its chosen spell at the time of its defeat. Status Touch: The monster has a 25% chance to cause a negative status condition with any of its normal attacks. Status Touch requires an opposed resistance check between the monster and his target. (If the monster wins, its target becomes afflicted by the negative status effect.) Call for Help: The monster uses a Slow action to calls for another monster of the same type, who arrives when this ability Is used and immediately joins the battle. Because the monster must be the same type as the one that calls for help, boss monsters cannot choose this power; it is recommended they look into Call Minions instead. Inhale: The monster can use powerful lungs or gravitational force to pull strongly their adversaries, dragging them through the air towards the beast. Each round the monster may attempt to Inhale a single target as an instant action, making an opposed Force roll; if the monster is successful, the character loses any Flight effects until the end of the creature’s turn, and is moved a Medium Range toward the beast unless the path is impeded by obstacles. 261 As a Standard action, the monster can choose to affect an entire group with Inhale instead of only a single target. Call Minions: The monster can take a Standard action once per combat to call for two minions, who arrive at the end of the round to join the fray. The minions that are called must be at least 2 levels lower than the caller. Each time Call Minions is taken, it increases the number of minions that can be summoned by two. Multiweapon: Without needing to have Multiple Parts, the monster has a variety of weapons at its disposal and can strike simultaneously with them, making its attacks harder to dodge. Monsters with Multiweapon may reroll one dice on every attack, just like a character that dual‐wields. Flawless Spell: The creature has one spell that’s as much a part of them as any attack, and they can cast it once per round, per combat as an Instant action. Each time Flawless Spell is taken it grants one additional use of the same spell – but the Item Use: The monster may use any recovery item listed in the Drop section of its entry during combat as an Instant action. Note that the characters will not find this item after defeating the enemy if the monster uses it. Monsters will generally only use items when they find their lives endangered. Submerge: As a Standard action the monster may burrow beneath the earth or dive underwater, making them Immune to any negative or beneficial Group‐target attacks or spells from targets who are not also underwater or underground. Status conditions such as Poison continue to affect the monster whilst underground, and they can still be affected by Single‐target attacks. They may return to the surface as an Instant action or move a Medium Range, and they may move underneath enemies to attack them with standard attacks as normal. Any creature that is affected by a knockback effect is also generally returned to the surface, ending the effects of Submerge. Combination Attack: May only be used by a monster with the Multiple Parts biological ability. If ALL parts are intact, they may all combine their actions for the round into one powerful attack that deals more damage than normal. Combination Attacks use one of the creature’s standard attacks, but deals 300% damage. Job Ability: The monster has access to one Shared or Job Ability such as a Warrior’s Cyclone or a Time Mage’s Delay Inevitable. Regardless of how often the ability normally functions, the monster may only ever use it once per combat, and the effects last for only one round. For example, an orcish berserker with the Warrior’s ‘Trauma’ job ability would have their attacks be increased by one damage step, for one round, after suffering a negative status effect. Limit and Innate abilities are strictly off‐ limits. BuildingAttacks At least, we’ve moved into the final stage of monster‐building; describing how they’ll horribly mutilate the heroes! Sure, maybe you’ll choose to give your monster a handful of spells – there’s no hard and fast rules for this, so long as the monster has the MP to cast them and the Tier of the spells doesn’t greatly exceed what a similarily‐levelled mage could use – but the real meat of this section will be your creature’s Attacks! A monster’s Attacks are simple, offensive, damage‐dealing maneuvers that all take Standard actions in combat, and are never affected by the Seal status effect. That said, the exact form of a beast’s attack is largely dependent on the monster’s species and how you envision them battling. A Humanoid‐type monster, for instance, might have a sword or spear, whilst a Plant‐type monster could attack with thorns or vines. An Amorph who relies heavily on magic might use his attacks to replenish or drain MP so he can keep on casting powerful spells. Like the heroes, monsters calculate damage based on their PWR attribute – unlike the heroes, their damage is based on their level instead of the Tier of weapon they swing around. Take a look at the table below; Monster Level Base Damage 1 2 3‐4 5‐6 7‐8 9 (Half PWR) + 2d6 (PWR x 1) + 2d6 (PWR x 2) + 2d6 (PWR x 3) + 2d6 (PWR x 4) + 2d6 (PWR x 5) + 2d6 Monster Level 10 11 12 13 14 15 Base Damage (PWR x 6) + 2d6 (PWR x 7) + 2d6 (PWR x 8) + 2d6 (PWR x 9) + 2d6 (PWR x 10) + 2d6 (PWR x 11) + 2d6 So, jot down your monster’s base damage and imagine what a basic, straightforward attack might be like from your creature – and when we say basic, we mean basic. No weapons, no elemental breath or interesting techniques here. Just a last‐ditch smack with whatever body part might hurt the most. 262 Got it figured out? Fantastic! You know your creature’s base accuracy and his base damage, and that’s combined to make one very simple‐looking attack! Let’s give it a name, and hopefully your monster won’t have to use that one much – it’s going to get more interesting in a second! Once you’ve got this basic idea down, we can take that attack we already made and turn it into a variety of secondary attacks; by having the attack require a weapon, reducing the accuracy or damage, or even having your poor beastie hurt themself in the process, you can create something much more fun – a gout of flame, a trampling charge, or whatever else you can dream up! Building a Secondary Attack is easy – simply take your primary attack and add a handful of bonus effects from the list below. Each additional effect has a ‘point’ cost, and a monster can spend as many points on each secondary attack as it has points of Finesse. So, if we’re working with a monster that has 3 Finesse, one of his secondary attacks could inflict the Zombie status (3 points), one of them could be Medium‐Ranged and deal an additional damage step (1 point for range, 2 points for damage), and one of their most complicated attacks could grant the caster Flight if it hits the target, but suffers a ‐2 penalty to accuracy (4 points for Flight, but a 1 point refund for the drawback for a total of three). In the sample monster stat blocks, we’ve marked attacks that require a weapon with an asterix (*). When you see that symbol, you’ll know that an enemy that has been Disarmed or has his weapon broken can’t use that particular move! We love secondary attacks that require a monster to have equipment, since destroying or disarming a monster’s weapon is both highly thematic and very satisfying for many players. Point Cost Effect +5 Refund +3 Refund +2 Refund +1 Refund 0 1 2 3 The user is reduced to 0 hit points at the end of its turn. Effects such as Auto‐Life cannot circumvent this. The attack reduces the user’s health by 50% of its maximum. The target(s) must be affected by a specific status ailment for the attack to be used. (Undead and their Auto‐ Zombie status cannot be used to meet this criteria.) The ‘attack’ does no damage or healing. The attack is a Slow action. Cannot be used without the monster’s weapon, or some other obscure criteria must be met. The attack is only usable once. The attack or status effect can be avoided/ended with a successful Skill Check of appropriate difficulty, such as using Escape to wiggle out of Stop‐inducing binds. The damage is reduced by one step. The accuracy is reduced by ‐2. This cannot be added multiple times. The attack targets M.ARM instead of ARM. The attack calculates damage as half of the creature’s level instead of the normal amount (useful for creating tamed creatures whose levels increase over the course of a campaign). The accuracy of the attack is increased by +1. The attack can be used at a Medium Range. The attack deals Earth, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Water, or Wind elemental damage. The damage step is increased by one. This may not double the attack’s damage steps. The user gains a +1 bonus on an opposed roll or forces you to suffer a ‐1 penalty. With a successful opposed roll, the attack can cause a short range knockback. With a successful opposed roll, may cause Zombie, Blind, Poison, Sleep, Stop, Confuse, or Seal. The attack targets all enemies within a Short Range. The attack also attempts to Disarm the target with a successful opposed roll. The target automatically suffers a ‐2 penalty to ACC or AVD for one round, or a +2 bonus to either score for an ally instead. The status effect inflicted by the attack does not fade in several rounds as normal and must be removed through other means. The attack uses MND instead of PWR and restores health to the user or an ally instead of dealing damage to a target. 263 4 5 6 7 8 9 The user or one ally gains gain Reflect or Flight. The attack changes the type of Terrain that exists in the battle – mostly used for a Geomancer’s Geotrance ability. The attack has a target range of Group. The user or one ally gains Protect or Shell. The attack deals Shadow or Holy damage. The attack ignores ARM or M.ARM and all similar damage‐reduction effects. With a successful opposed roll, the target is inflicted with Armor Break, Power Break, Magic Break, or Speed Break for one round. The attack is a critical hit on a result of 11‐12. With a successful opposed roll, may cause Transform, Curse, Slow, or Petrify. The attack also creates a Fire, Ice, Wind, Water, Earth, or Lightning Elemental Field. The attack has a target range of Local. With a successful opposed roll, may cause Stun or Charm. With a successful opposed roll, the attack may destroy the target’s equipped weapon, armor, or accessory. The attack also creates a Holy or Shadow Elemental Field. With a successful attack roll, the user or one chosen ally gains a point of Destiny. The user or one ally gains Haste, Auto‐Life, or Reflect. With a successful opposed roll, the target is inflicted with Armor Break, Power Break, Magic Break, or Speed Break for several rounds. The attack instantly reduces its targets to 0 hit points with a successful opposed roll. The attack is a critical hit on a result of 10‐12. Rewards Many monsters leave behind items or gil when they are defeated, or have items that may be stolen. Usually, the item is related to the monster or its abilities, and you’re encouraged to come up with potential items the creature may have on its personage – or be transformed into, if you have an Engineer in your party! For example, while a goblin may drop a short sword when defeated, a giant bird most likely will not. If a monster has a Drop Item, it has a 50% chance to give up the item when defeated. Components were discussed back on pages 159‐160; they can be obtained with a successful Scavenge skill check from a Notorious Monster or Boss, so it’s a good idea to include a plausible idea for such creatures ahead of time. Steal Items are more or less the same idea; since a Thief might be able to nab everything from the creature’s shirt off their back to their earliest memory, jotting down an idea for something the Thief could theoretically snatch is always a good idea. This way you won’t be stuck flipping through the book in the middle of combat, searching for inspiration. LimitBreaksandDestiny Adding a Limit Break to your monster is a good way to make a serious encounter even more dangerous, and even if the monster doesn’t have the chance to actually USE it, getting into the habit of building bosses with jaw‐dropping, destiny‐wasting attacks is a good way to instill a fear of them into your players. Monsters build Limit Breaks in the exact same way a player does; by following the point‐buy system that can be found starting on page 165. Monsters can earn and use Destiny as well, though not in the same ways that heroes can. Since the on‐screen lifespan of most monsters begins and ends over the course of a single battle, there’s a few important differences. By spending one point of Destiny, a monster may add an additional d6 to any roll just like heroes. However, they may also spend a single point to take an immediate Standard action even if it isn’t their turn, so long as they don’t interrupt a PC’s actions. This allows them to begin and finish the casting of spells at odd times, act in combat before anyone else has a chance to, and use powerful moves when players aren’t expecting it. 264 Finally, just like players, three points of Destiny allow a monster to use a Limit Break if they have one. These are often frighteningly powerful attacks capable of completely leveling an entire team of unprepared heroes – luckily, they can only be activated once the boss has been reduced to 25% health or less as normal. A level 1‐4 Notorious Monster or Boss might have 1 Destiny if the GM deems it appropriate. A level 5+ Notorious Monster or Boss always possesses 1 Destiny and can construct a Limit Break up to 10 points. A level 10+ Notorious Monster or Boss has 2 Destiny instead, and uses 20 points to build a Limit Break. An End Boss, regardless of their level, starts with 3 Destiny and builds their limit break with the full 30 points. PlayingtheBadGuy Now that your monster is ready for action, it’s time for the final step; discussing some of the ways you can best utilize it against the heroes. While we tried to cover most of the bases in the rules, and provide ready‐to‐go critters in the bestiary, nobody knows the strengths and weaknesses of your group better than you. Player style and Job makeup can vastly change how encounters play out, and because the FFd6 produces vastly different adventuring groups from table to table, we’d be doing you and your players a disservice if we just left things here. Instead, we’d like to take a moment to show you how a few simple spells, or changing the battlefield, can put a new spin on old fights and give monsters a fighting chance against even much‐higher leveled PCs. KillingHeroes You may have seen this book previously mention how only Notorious Monsters and Bosses can actually kill players, and now we’re going to discuss that in greater detail. Monsters can only kill a PC who has been reduced to 0 hit points, and generally only a character within a Short Range of them. Notorious Monsters can kill fallen characters as a Slow action, usually giving the fallen heroes’ comrades a chance to jump in and prevent this unfortunate fate. Bosses can end the lives of fallen PCs as a Standard action instead, taking their entire turn to dramatically herald the end of a heroes’ story, devouring or ripping lifeless bodies into shreds so quickly that the heroes’ allies almost never have time to intervene. Only by spending 7 points of Destiny to Cheat Death can a player avoid this horrible fate, one of the only ways a Final Fantasy hero can truly perish. NastyTricks With that out of the way, we’d like to take one last moment to discuss half a dozen options for dealing with particularly troublesome heroes. First up is the Melt spell, a rank two black magick that can negate a character’s ARM score for a few rounds, at the tradeoff of the caster taking some magical backlash. This is great for the heavy‐armor wearing, shield‐swinging, Auto‐Protect champion who is often the first to charge in. Melt isn’t cheap at 25 MP and its nasty backlash, but there’s two ways around the repercussions of the spell. Low‐PWR monsters will still be able to utilize the spell to greatly weaken armor, but minimize the damage both to themselves as well as the target. Or – since the damage 265 done by Melt is fire‐based – simply giving your creature a resistance or immunity to fire solves the problem. Consider pairing up heavy bruiser monsters with Melt‐using creatures so that the spell can take effect on the same turn that the ogre starts swinging away. Up until players keep a constant supply of Remedies or Revivifies on hand, one of the best ways to frustrate healers is with the Zombie or Seal spells or statuses. That said, few things can really stop a hero who has dedicated him or herself to supporting others, and GMs are encouraged not to worry too much about it. Third up is Rasp, which allows high‐MND monsters to expend hundreds of points of MP to reduce their target’s magic point total by the same amount. Combine this with a way for the creature to regain its lost MP through standard actions, and you have a beast that can deal with troublesome mages one by one by destroying all of their MP in a single Slow action. Don’t underestimate the power of Difficult Terrain! Thick ghostly fogs, icy or unstable floors, clouds of black industrial smoke, all of these things and more can cause hindrances to the party but not the area’s native inhabitants. A encounter with a Bomb King inside a burning building is not only more difficult for characters who would otherwise breeze right through the fight, it’s also a great deal more memorable. Likewise, the element of surprise is a valuable weapon, and we don’t just mean through pre‐emptive strikes. Get into the habit of allowing your players to make broad tactical guesses – machines are weak to lightning, for example – and then introduce a creature that doesn’t fit their stereotypes or an effect the players have never seen before. All it takes is a single round of Absorbing or Reflecting a caster’s elemental spell to turn the tables in a fight, or finding out that the bandit leader has access to a powerful Summon… With both notorious monsters and bosses having access to Destiny, consider making use of attacks that slowly accumulate this precious commodity whenever possible. While limit breaks and extra turns might be flashy, don’t forget that you can use this Destiny to add accuracy dice to a monster’s most powerful attacks, making it easy to unleash these punishing techniques. WitnessMyTrueForm! Let’s face it; Final Fantasy bosses have the bad habit of reappearing stronger than before just when you think you’ve won. To replicate this effect in the FFd6, build two individual monsters with varying spells, abilities, and so on. Then, pick one of them to be the ‘first form’ of the opponent and cut the creature’s maximum HP and MP scores right in half. Proceed to battle normally with that monster. As soon as the party defeats the first ‘form’ of the boss, award them all the appropriate amount of Destiny for having won. Then, leap right into the second half of the battle by having the second version of the monster suddenly appear, and combat picking up right where it left off; often or not, with several characters already having taken their turns for the round and the major enemy about to get some payback. The best GMs will accompany this surprise re‐emergence with a sudden change of scenery or perhaps even Difficult Terrain – having the boss transform into a huge, winged beast with Flight that can only be reached by climbing aboard the party’s airship, for example. When this second version of the boss is defeated, a few more points of Destiny are in order. That’s right – double the phases, double the rewards. If you want to have three phases instead of two, then the first form should have 25% of the normal HP/MP values, the second form should have 50%, and the third should remain unchanged. 266 Anything b beyond this will be a detrimen nt to the flow o of battle (and eeither much to oo easy or too difficult), and isn’t recommen nded. Review w And that’s it, you’re done e! Double‐checck your monste er to make sur e everything iss in order and gget ready to un nleash your beast at the gamingg table! GM’s job to play fair, and alth hough it might be tempting to o create monssters that could d Rememberr that it’s the G decimate yyour players in a single round d of combat, orr be Immune too everything th hey could thro ow at it, we can n’t stress enou ugh how imporrtant it is to avvoid falling into o that trap. Sincce you’re the ffinal arbiter of the level of challenge p present in the ggame for your players, your players trust yyou not to abusse the rules fou und in this secttion. There are h hundreds of co ombinations off abilities, spells, and attacks throughout th his book that w will keep your p players on their toes. Just remem mber that life‐threatening batttles should deefinitely not bee the norm unless that’s whaat he system was designed thatt Notorious Moonsters and Bo osses are the to oughest fights,, and appeals to your group. Th onsters are gen nerally quite stress‐free. A go ood GM knows when to hold back and when to unleash h hell, regular mo and should d be able to do both skillfully.. 267 268 269 270 271 CONC CLUS SION N "It was tiime to bring the e world once m more into the lig ght." - Final Fa antasy None of this would have been possible without the original Final Faantasy RPG by The Returnerss; this project w would have neverr have seen the e light of day w were it not for Scott Tengelin . You can em mail me with qu uestions, comm ments, or deatth threats at ffrrpg@live.ca And that, aas they say, is tthat. 272 NAME: E AND JOB: RACE LEVEL L: Attributte Score PWR: RES: DEX: MND: Force: Finesse: k Type Attack Accuracy y ABIL LITIES HP: MP: ARM: M.ARM: AVD: ACC: Damage Sp pecial Properrties SK KILLS Athleticcs Awaren ness Healing g Langua age Lore: _ __________ Mercan ntile Negotia ation Scaven nge Swimm ming Synthe esis: _____ Thieve ry Other: _________ ARM MOR /A ACCESS SORY INVEN NTORY (10 Item ms Max) Tier Acting Escape Inquiry Lore: __ _________ Lore: __ _________ Nature Perform Stealth Synthesis: _____ Systemss Vehicless Other: _ _________ T TASK D DIFFICU ULTY Elem mentary: 5 E Easy: 7 Mo oderate: 9 Challenging: 11 Imprressive: 14 He eroic: 17 Sup preme: 20 Go odlike: 25 Impo ossible: 30 EXPER RIENCE E AND W WEALT TH EXP Destiiny Gil BIO B Quote: Age: A Birthdate: B Hometown: H Gender: Weight: Height: Features: GOALS G #1: #2: #3: Life Goal: LIMIT L BREAKS B S Name Points P 5 15 25 Keyw words and Description D MAGIC M Name MP Cos st Type Effect E