"Wizards whose powerful black magic strikes fear into enemies"
—Description
The Black Mage is a job in Final Fantasy V obtained after the Wind Crystal shatters. It is the first fully offensive spellcasting job in the game (barring Blue Mage as they start with nothing), and is the first job to utilize elements in their attacks.
The Black Mage has the second-highest Magic Power in the game, being beaten out by the Summoner in the original as well as the Oracle in the Advance remake, and due to the ability to equip Rods, the Black Mage is further capable of increasing their damage output of specific elements by 50%.
As Black Mages, the party will don the famous blue robes and pointy hat, and conceal their faces. However, Galuf keeps his beard, and Bartz resembles the Magus from Final Fantasy III. Krile most closely resembles the Black Mage design from the original Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy III. Bartz, Faris and Lenna wear a crescent moon symbol on their hat, while Krile has a star.
Black Magic gives the character access to the three basic elements (Fire, Ice, and Lightning), access to the Poison element, as well as a powerful non-elemental spell obtained late in the game. Black Magic also gives the character access to some status-inducing spells, as well as a HP and MP draining spell. Of note, Black Magic Level 1 will give the character base Freelancer Magic +16. For each Black Magic level gained, up to level 6, the Magic bonus is increased by 3 per level, for a maximum of +31 Magic at Black Magic Level 6.
Upon mastery, Freelancers will gain a bonus to their Magic Power.
The Black Mage attire is an indication that Faris is female, before the party actually find out. She wears her robes the same way Lenna does. This also applies to the White Mage job.