User:Chocolancer/Magic

From Final Fantasy Wiki

With some research, a bit of understanding, and a little bit of imagination (which I have way too much of...), my theory of the magic system in the Final Fantasy series is complete. I, Chocolancer, have devised the different magic systems and their intensities and augmentative powers over the elemental cores of magic, as well as their disadvantages and dangers...Without further ado, let us observe my theory of the different magic systems that makes the game Final Fantasy...I will add new systems when I find more evidence of it...

Note: This is a fan-made article and should not be taken too seriously...this is just a theory from a fan of Final Fantasy, so unless you have a different belief, keep it to yourself, unless you want to discuss it with me...

Contents 1 The Old System (aka Ancient Magic) 2 The Revised Old System 3 The New System 4 Vana'diel System

[edit] The Old System (aka Ancient Magic)

Exclusive to Final Fantasy II, the old system consists of sixteen levels of magic. As the caster begins to use the particular magic spell, his/her magic power and skill increases overtime, and increasing the magic level (i.e.: using a Fire I often would upgrade it to Fire II, making the spell more powerful, but less efficient. Either roman numerals or arabic numbers are used to portray the level of the spell. As the spell becomes more powerful, by the twelfth level it becomes quite unstable, and may lead to backfiring, presumably leading to deaths of those who fail to refine their handling of their spells. Nevertheless, the old system is a powerful magic system and takes great skill and devotion to tame, especially if it is an attack or status-inducing spell. Nowadays, as a mage grows into old age, they are now automatically bestowed with the old system, however younger mages may also obtain this ability if they are highly proficient with casting magic...

[edit] The Revised Old System

Much like the old system, instead it only uses arabic numbers. A modified version, the level cap is downsized so that there are only two to three levels of a spell, making it less powerful and safer to cast, but it comes with a sacrifice. Because the whole old system is squeezed to only three levels, the MP cost almost double to the amount it once had. It is introduced in the first Final Fantasy game and has appeared in III since, becoming a staple among mages until VIII, when it was replaced with another system.

[edit] The New System

Appearing in Final Fantasy VIII, the numbered system is eliminated and is instead replaced with suffixes such as -ara, -aga, and -aja. As of now, only two of these suffixes are used often, while the third one is only used by highly-skilled spellcasters. The system itself may upgrade or develop new suffixes but so far not much is known about this system. Intensity-wise, the power is decent and quite efficient in most cases. However, the system is often not compatible with most spells, lessening their usefulness and making them obsolete. This is the most common system as of now.

[edit] Vana'diel System

Exclusive to Final Fantasy XI, the system consists of four to five levels in roman numerals, working together with the new system, as well as raising the bar from the new system. Speaking of which, the suffix Bar- can be used in tandem with most status-inducing spells to make a protecting barrier instead from that particular status effect. The word Absorb is also used in a few spells as a prefix to absorb a particular stat. Its spell power seems to be on par with the new system, but MP-cost is quite high and drains on the caster's concentration, so casting the same spell over takes time.