Trance is induced by a surge of emotion.
Steiner in battle
Trance (トランス, Toransu?) is the Limit Break system in Final Fantasy IX that temporarily transforms a character into a more powerful form, increasing all physical damage by a factor of 1.5x (except for Steiner, who becomes even more powerful). While in Trance party members have their innate unique skills enhanced in some fashion.
Entering Trance
Trance is induced by a surge of powerful emotions. Thus, in three battles during which time they are particularly emotional, Zidane, Vivi and Steiner automatically enter Trance at the beginning of the battle.
During a time she is going through emotional turmoil, Dagger's Trance bar will not fill and is not even displayed. The temporary player characters — Marcus, Blank, Cinna, and Beatrix — have no Trance gauges. Besides these exceptions, the plot events do not affect characters' Trance.
Trance is accumulated as the character is attacked by enemies, filling the gauge underneath their ATB bar. If a character is afflicted with Zombie, the Trance bar is reduced to zero. Once the Trance bar is filled, the character immediately enters Trance, changing their appearance and giving the character a mysterious glow. All attacks are equal in filling the Trance bar, and thus even attacks that do no damage count towards it. As the character enters Trance as soon as the filling blow has been dealt, it is possible for an enemy's final attack to trigger it, giving a character a Trance at what is the end of the battle, effectively wasting it. Thus, using Trance strategically can be tough as one cannot easily control who enemies attack and how often.
Steiner enters Trance.
Being in Trance raises the character's attributes, and they are healed of all status ailments (but do not become immune to them). In Trance special abilities become available, depending on the character who has entered Trance. The Trance bar decreases with every action taken and Trance is reverted when the bar is depleted, when the battle ends, or the character becomes afflicted with the Zombie status. If the battle ends while the Trance bar is still partially full while in Trance, the bar is emptied after the battle.
The amount that the Trance gauge fills up is equal to a random MOD Spirit. If the support ability High Tide is equipped, the gauge fills up equal to the character's Spirit stat instead.
The amount that the Trance gauge decreases while in Trance is as follows:
![{\displaystyle DeductionRate=([(300-Level)/Spirit]*10)MOD256}](https://services.fandom.com/mathoid-facade/v1/media/math/render/svg/9630f534e348f86c77807374353e8ea576c04648)
Certain types of actions unique to a character empty out the Trance gauge less than other actions. For instance, when Vivi uses Black Magic in Trance, the action expends less of the Trance bar, than it would have if Vivi used an item.
Story
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Trance is a surge of powerful emotions that momentarily enhances one's inner capabilities, and thus the effects are unique to each individual. As explained in Final Fantasy IX Ultimania, Kuja lacks the ability to express complex emotions due to having been denied a childhood, and thus is unable to naturally enter Trance. Garland saw the flaws in his design, and created Zidane to one day replace Kuja, but created Zidane as a child, allowing him to grow and thus develop a full range of emotions, granting him the ability of Trance and thus making him ultimately superior to Kuja. Kuja, jealous Garland had created another Genome, kidnapped Zidane and abandoned him on Gaia, where Zidane was raised by Baku and his Tantalus Theater Troupe.
Zidane grows up on Gaia never learning of his Terran origins, and by the age of 16 is a full-fledged member of the troupe and able to enter Trance. After Tantalus kidnaps Princess Garnet and crashes in Evil Forest, Zidane enters Trance when trying to save her from the forest's monsters. Even the young members of the party like Eiko and Vivi, and despite the latter being an artificially produced black mage, have the emotional capacity for Trance, Vivi spontaneously Trancing when his brethren are attacked by a Black Waltz on the cargo ship.
Trance Kuja.
Eiko's pet moogle, Mog, enters Trance as a result of her strong desire to protect Eiko, revealing her true form as the eidolon Madeen. Kuja witnesses the feat and realizes the true power of Trance, and abandons his quest for powerful eidolons, beginning to seek the power of Trance instead. Although Kuja is unable to enter Trance naturally, being a Genome, he can absorb dormant souls into his being, and thus absorbs the souls from within the Invincible and, using the soul of Queen Brahne as a catalyst, has the souls all enter Trance simultaneously, giving him an incredibly powerful Trance that he is able to sustain for an extended period of time.
Reveling in his new-found powers, Kuja kills Garland but is driven to madness upon learning of his impending death, and destroys Terra before setting out to destroy the crystal, source of all life. Zidane and his friends follow Kuja to the Crystal World and defeat him, and as Kuja returns to the Iifa Tree, his Trance is gone.
List of Trances
Zidane
Trance Command. Use special powers.
Description
Zidane's Skill command changes into Dyne while in Trance. It grants special attacks that cost MP. The more Skills Zidane learns, the more powerful Dyne abilities become available. In Trance, Zidane's hair turns pink and becomes longer, and his clothes are replaced with pink fur, as an allusion to Terra Branford's Trance from Final Fantasy VI.
Dagger
Trance Command. Summon eidolons.
Description
Dagger's Summon command changes to Eidolon, increasing the chance of a summon having a stronger attack (full animation) and the summoned eidolon has a chance of reappearing during the rest of the battle as long as Dagger stays in Trance, continuing to reappear at random intervals. If Dagger summons multiple eidolons, the last eidolon she summons will be the one to reappear. The random summons do not use MP or expend the Trance gauge, but are weaker than regular summonings, always using the short animation. As the random summons don't deplete the Trance gauge, one can let Dagger idle. When Garnet enters Trance, her hair turns blonde, her skin turns pink with white glyphs along her legs, and her outfit transforms into a white leotard with a low neckline and light green sleeves and boots.
Vivi
Trance Command. Use black magic twice.
Description
Template:See Also Vivi's Blk Mag command changes to Dbl Blk, allowing Vivi to cast two consecutive Black Magic spells per turn, providing he has MP for both. The spells count as two actions, and deplete the Trance gauge individually. In Trance, Vivi's clothes are replaced by a full-length white robe, gloves, and a hat that stands at a point, as opposed to his usually steeped hat. The straps crossing over his chest are replaced by a stylized design down the middle of his robe, including a wing-like design on his chest. The black shadow under his hat gives off a dark bluish hue while his eyes become stark white instead of yellow.
Steiner
Steiner does not have any unique Trance skills, but his physical attack power triples. If attacking with the Blood Sword, Steiner will only get the normal 50% increase bonus instead. When in Trance, Steiner's armor is replaced by paladin armor complete with a faceplate with runes on the torso and gold highlights on his gauntlets, chestplate, and the spiky decorative metal jutting out of the front at his ankles. His lower mail is replaced by black pants and silver shin armor. The feather in his hat turns black and becomes jagged.
Freya
Trance Command. Aerial attack.
Description
Freya's Jump ability gets powered up, but doesn't receive a name change. Freya stays in the air instead of landing after a Jump and while airborne, rains spears on all enemies whenever it is her turn. When her Trance gauge expires, or the battle ends, she performs a final attack and lands. Her trance can be exploited when all party members except Freya are KO as while she stays in the air most enemies will do nothing except supportive moves since they can't target Freya, or even attack themselves with their own attacks when it is their turn, and Freya will deal damage to them until the Trance expires. During Trance, Freya's clothing is replaced with full platemail armor, complete with a pair of gauntlets and greaves that cover her hands and legs, and her hat is replaced with a knight's helmet that covers all but the back of her head.
Quina
Trance Command. Learn enemy skill.
Description
Quina's Eat command changes to Cook. This means Quina can attempt to eat the enemy when it has 50% or fewer HP instead of the usual requirement of having lost 75% of their total HP. In Trance, Quina's face disappears into a void with only bright white eyes showing. His/her clothes are replaced by an obese armor set, his/her chef's hat turning into a helmet.
Eiko
Trance Command. Use white magic twice.
Description
Template:See Also Eiko's Wht Mag changes to Dbl Wht, allowing Eiko to cast two consecutive White Magic spells in one turn, providing she has MP for both. The spells count as separate actions and will deplete the Trance gauge individually. In Trance, Eiko's horn lengthens and turns sky-blue and her ornamental wings grow bigger. Her hair and sleeves turn light green; her bow, chest plate, pants, and boots become white; and her turtleneck and bodysuit change to purple.
Amarant
Trance Command. Use monk techniques.
Description
Amarant's Flair changes to Elan, making all of Amarant's Flairs apply to multiple targets. While in Trance, Amarant's clothes disappear and his skin turns dark with purple highlights, and his facial hair and dreadlocks turn black.
Other Appearances
Dissidia Final Fantasy
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Time to get serious!
Zidane enters Trance
Here's your invitation!
Kuja enters Trance
Zidane and Kuja enter their Trance forms during their EX Modes, but the nature of these abilities is different from their Trance abilities in Final Fantasy IX. Zidane gains the abilities Aerial Jump, which allows him to jump ten times in a row, and Dodge Jump, which makes him invincible to some attacks while jumping.
Kuja gains the abilities Hyper Glide and Auto Magic. Hyper Glide lets him maintain altitude longer while Gliding, and Auto Magic leaves Flare and Holy orbs as Kuja moves through the air to damage opponents. Both execute their EX Bursts while in their Trance forms.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
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Zidane and Kuja retain Trance as their EX Mode, though their abilities are modified. Zidane's Trance has a new effect that resets his jump count when he dodges, letting him jump again, while Kuja's Auto Magic has lower damage priority. Dodging to reset jumps was available to all characters in the first Dissidia Final Fantasy, but was removed in Dissidia 012 for all but Zidane's Trance mode.
Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Template:Sideicon One of Eiko's cards has W-White [Holy] as its ability. W-White [Holy] requires the discard of an Eiko card, Dulling Eiko, and paying two Earth CP, and allows the player to select up to two Forwards and deal them 8000 damage, if the player has taken at least 5 damage.
Quina's card has Eat, requiring the discard of a Quina card and two Water CP. Eat allows the player to select an opponent's Forward that has taken damage the turn Eat is used, and if it has a Special Ability or Action Ability, the player can Break it.
Gallery
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Etymology
Template:See Also Trance derives from Terra Branford's Trance skill in Final Fantasy VI, which similarly transforms her into another form with heightened powers. The skill was called Morph in western games until the Advance release.
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