Magic (Final Fantasy)

There are two categories of magic in Final Fantasy: White Magic and Black Magic. White Magic is the specialty of White Mages, but lower-level White Magic spells can also be used by Knights. Black Magic is the specialty of Black Mages, but Black Magic spells up to mid-level can also be used by Ninjas. Red Mages can use most of both Black and White Magic, but are unable to learn the highest-level spells of either school.

Mechanics[]

The original NES version does not use the MP system that would become standard for later games in the series, but instead a variation of the spell slots system from Dungeons & Dragons. Spells are organized into tiers, and a character can learn up to three spells in each tier; learning a new spell requires them to forget one they already know. Each tier of spell has a number of charges, and casting a spell of that tier consumes one charge. Spell charges are replenished by resting at an inn, or by using a Cottage.

The Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary releases change magic to use an MP system where all spells have a cost and characters have a pool of MP that is consumed. These ports also add Ethers as a means to restore MP. Spells are still divided into tiers with characters only able to learn up to three spells from each tier.

The Pixel Remaster release returns to the spell slot system of older releases, while also retaining Ethers, which instead restore consumed spell slots.

Formulas[]

Hit determination[]

Only spells that target opponents make accuracy checks. For non-damaging spells, this check simply determines whether or not the spell hits. Damaging spells always hit, the accuracy check instead determining whether they receive bonus to their damage dealt.

Hit determination is done by the following formula:

Hit Successful if Random ( 0 ... 200 ) <= [ Base Chance + Spell Accuracy - Target Magic Defense, minimum 0 ]

Base chance to hit starts at 148. If the target resists the spell element, base chance to hit has 148 subtracted from it. If the target is weak to the spell element, base chance to hit is increased by 40. A target can be both weak and resistant against a given element (eg. a Vampire Lord casting NulBlaze), leaving a final base chance to hit of 40.

In practice, casting a spell with 0 Accuracy on a target with 0 Magic Defense has a hit chance of ~74.13%. Each point of Accuracy or Magic Defense respectively increases or decreases this hit chance by ~0.5%. The target resisting the spell's element reduces this by ~73.63%, while it is increased by ~19.9% if they are weak against it. A spell will always hit on a roll of 0 (~0.5%).

Damage[]

NES to Origins

If the hit was successful:

Damage = Random( 2×Spell Power ... 4×Spell Power )

If the hit was unsuccessful:

Damage = Random ( Spell Power ... 2×Spell Power )

If the target resists the element, damage is halved. If the target is weak to the element, damage is multiplied by 1.5.

Dawn of Souls onwards

Damage is determined by the caster's Intellect and Luck, the target's elemental affinities, whether the spell passes its accuracy check, and the target's Magic Defense if they are a player character. Damage is capped at 9999.

Damage = ( [Base Damage x Elemental Affinity] + Hit Bonus ) x Magic Defense Multiplier

Base Damage = Spell Power × Intellect Multiplier + [ Intellect + Luck ] ÷ 2 + Random ( 0 ... Luck ÷ 2 ).

Elemental Affinity = 1.5 if target is weak to spell element, 0.5 if target resists spell element, 1 otherwise.

Hit Bonus = Intellect ÷ 5 if spell hits, 0 otherwise.

Healing[]

NES to Origins

When used in-battle:

Healing Amount = Random( Spell Power ... 2×Spell Power )

The amount healed is capped to 255 though this value can never be reached without hacking. Curaja, Raise, and Full-Life do not adhere to this formula, instead healing by a fixed amount.

When used out of battle, the amount healed is a set range tied to the spell in question.

Spell	Amount Healed
Cure	16 ~ 31
Cura	32 ~ 63
Curaga	64 ~ 127
Heal	16 ~ 23
Healara	32 ~ 47
Healaga	64 ~ 95

Dawn of Souls onwards

The caster's Intelligence and the target's Luck both affect the amount healed. Each healing spell additionally has a multiplier attached, making higher level healing spells significantly stronger than the NES release. Curaja, Raise, and Full-Life do not adhere to this formula, instead healing by a fixed amount.

Healing Amount = ( Spell Power + Caster Intelligence ) × Multiplier + Random( 0 ... Target Luck ÷ 2 )

Spell	Multiplier
Cure, Heal	1
Cura, Healara	2
Curaga, Healaga	3

Job key[]

Knight	Ninja	Red Mage	Red Wizard
Kn	Ni	RM	RW
White Mage	White Wizard	Black Mage	Black Wizard
WM	WW	BM	BW

Black Magic[]

Name	Level	MP	Power	Accuracy	Element	Target	Price	Buy	Jobs
Fire (ファイア, Faia?) NES: FIRE; PS: Fire1	1	5	10	24	Fire	One enemy	100	Cornelia	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Inflicts light Fire damage on one enemy.
	Deals fire damage to one enemy.
Thunder (サンダー, Sandā?) NES: LIT; PS: Bolt1	1	5	10	24	Lightning	One enemy	100	Cornelia	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Inflicts light Lightning damage on one enemy.
	Deals lightning damage to one enemy.
Focus (シェイプ, Sheipu?) NES: LOCK; PS: Focus1	1	3	—	64	—	One enemy	100	Cornelia	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to decrease one enemy's Evasion by 20.[note 1]
	Lowers one enemy's evasion.
Sleep (スリプル, Suripuru?) NES: SLEP; PS: Sleep1	1	3	—	24	Spirit[note 2]	All enemies	100	Cornelia	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict Sleep on all enemies.
	Puts all enemies to sleep.
Dark (ダクネス, Dakunesu?) NES: DARK; PS: Fog	2	5	—	24	Spirit[note 3]	All enemies	400	Pravoka	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict Darkness on all enemies.
	Blinds all enemies with darkness.
Blizzard (ブリザド, Burizado?) NES: ICE; PS: Ice1	2	8	20	24	Ice	One enemy	400	Pravoka	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Inflicts light Ice damage to one enemy.
	Deals ice damage to one enemy.
Slow (スロウ, Surō?) NES: SLOW; PS: Slow1	2	5	—	64	Spirit[note 4]	All enemies	400	Pravoka	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to decrease the hit multiplier of all enemies by 1.
	Reduces all enemies' number of attacks.
Temper (ストライ, Sutorai?) NES: TMPR; PS: Steel	2	10	—	—	—	One ally	400	Pravoka	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Increases one ally's Attack by 14.[note 5]
	Raises one ally's attack.
Fira (ファイラ, Faira?) NES: FIR2; PS: Fire2	3	15	30	24	Fire	All enemies	1,500	Elfheim	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Inflicts moderate Fire damage on all enemies.
	Deals fire damage to all enemies.
Hold (ホールド, Hōrudo?) NES: HOLD; PS: Bind	3	10	—	64	Spirit[note 6]	One enemy	1,500	Elfheim	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict Paralysis on one enemy.
	Paralyzes one enemy.
Thundara (サンダラ, Sandara?) NES: LIT2; PS: Bolt2	3	15	30	24	Lightning	All enemies	1,500	Elfheim	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Inflicts moderate Lightning damage on all enemies.
	Deals lightning damage to all enemies.
Focara (シェイラ, Sheira?) NES: LOK2; PS: Focus2	3	10	—	64[note 7]	—	All enemies	1,500	Elfheim	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to decrease the Evasion of all enemies by 20.[note 8]
	Lowers evasion of all enemies.
Confuse (コンフュ, Konfyu?) NES: CONF; PS: Muddle	4	15	—	64	Spirit[note 9]	All enemies	4,000	Elfheim	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict Confuse on all enemies.
	Causes enemies to turn on each other.
Haste (ヘイスト, Heisuto?) NES: FAST	4	15	—	—	—	One ally	4,000	Elfheim	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Increases the hit multiplier of one ally by 1.
	Doubles one ally's number of attacks.
Blizzara (ブリザラ, Burizara?) NES: ICE2; PS: Ice2	4	18	40	24	Ice	All enemies	4,000	Elfheim	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Inflicts moderate Ice damage on all enemies.
	Deals ice damage to all enemies.
Sleepra (スリプラ, Suripura?) NES: SLP2; PS: Sleep2	4	15	—	64	Spirit[note 10]	One enemy	4,000	Elfheim	Ni, RM, RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict Sleep on one enemy.
	Puts one enemy to sleep.
Scourge (クラウダ, Kurauda?) NES: BANE; PS: Poison	5	28	—	40	Poison	All enemies	8,000	Melmond	RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict KO on all enemies.
	Instantly kills all enemies.
Firaga (ファイガ, Faiga?) NES: FIR3; PS: Fire3	5	30	50	24	Fire	All enemies	8,000	Melmond	RM, RW, BM, BW
	Inflicts heavy Fire damage on all enemies.
	Deals fire damage to all enemies.
Slowra (ラスロウ, Rasurō?) NES: SLO2; PS: Slow2	5	18	—	64	—	One enemy	8,000	Melmond	RM, RW, BM, BW
	Attempts to decrease one enemy's hit multiplier by 1.
	Reduces one enemy's number of attacks.
Teleport (テレポ, Terepo?) NES: WARP; PS: Warp1	5	5	0	—	—	All allies	8,000	Melmond	RW, BW
	Returns to the previous floor of a dungeon.
	Transports the party to the previous floor.
Thundaga (サンガー, Sangā?) NES: LIT3; PS: Bolt3	6	35	60	24	Lightning	All enemies	20,000	Crescent Lake	RW, BM, BW
	Inflicts heavy Lightning damage on all enemies.
	Deals lightning damage to all enemies.
Quake (クエイク, Kueiku?) NES: QAKE	6	32	—	40	Earth	All enemies	20,000	Crescent Lake	BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict KO on all enemies.
	Calls an earthquake to swallow enemies.
Death (デス, Desu?) NES: RUB; PS: Reaper	6	30	—	24	Instant Death	One enemy	20,000	Crescent Lake	BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict KO on one enemy.
	Instantly kills one enemy.
Stun (スタン, Sutan?) NES: STUN	6	20	—	—	Spirit[note 6]	One enemy	20,000	Crescent Lake	BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict Paralysis on one enemy. Always succeeds if the target has 300 or less HP and is not resistant against the Spirit[note 6] element. Always fails if the target has over 300 HP, or resists the Spirit[note 6] element.
	Paralyzes one enemy.
Blind (ブライン, Burain?) NES: BLND	7	25	—	—	Spirit[note 3]	One enemy	45,000	Onrac	BM, BW
	Attempts to inflict Darkness on one enemy. Always succeeds if the target has 300 or less HP and is not resistant against the Spirit[note 3] element. Always fails if the target has over 300 HP, or resists the Spirit[note 3] element.
	Blinds one enemy with darkness.
Break (ブレイク, Bureiku?) NES: BRAK	7	30	—	64	Poison[note 11]	One enemy	45,000	Gaia	Black Wizard
	Attempts to inflict Stone on one enemy.
	Petrifies one enemy.
Blizzaga (ブリザガ, Burizaga?) NES: ICE3; PS: Ice3	7	40	70	24	Ice	All enemies	45,000	Gaia	RW, BM, BW
	Inflicts heavy Ice damage on all enemies.
	Deals ice damage to all enemies.
Saber (セーバー, Sēbā?) NES: SABR	7	25	—	—	—	Self	45,000	Onrac	Black Wizard
	Increases own Attack by 16 and Accuracy by 10.[note 12]
	Raises caster's attack and accuracy.
Flare (フレアー, Fureā?) NES: NUKE	8	50	100	107	—	All enemies	60,000	Lufenia	Black Wizard
	Inflicts massive non-elemental damage on all enemies.
	Blasts all enemies with light and heat.
Stop (ストップ, Sutoppu?) NES: STOP	8	30	—	48	Time	All enemies	60,000	Gaia	Black Wizard
	Attempts to inflict Paralysis on all enemies.
	Stops time and paralyzes all enemies.
Kill (キル, Kiru?) NES: XXXX; PS: Doom	8	40	—	—	Instant Death	One enemy	60,000	Gaia	Black Wizard
	Attempts to inflict KO on one enemy. Always succeeds if the target has 300 or less HP and is not resistant against the Instant Death element. Always fails if the target has over 300 HP, or resists the Instant Death element.
	Instantly kills one enemy.
Warp (デジョン, Dejon?) NES: ZAP!; PS: Banish	8	38	—	32	Time	All enemies	60,000	Gaia	Black Wizard
	Attempts to inflict KO on all enemies.
	Banishes enemies to another dimension.

White Magic[]

Name	Level	MP	Power	Accuracy	Element	Target	Price	Buy	Jobs
Cure (ケアル, Kearu?) NES: CURE; PS: Cure1	1	3	16	—	—	One ally	100	Cornelia	Kn, RM, RW, WM, WW
	Restores a small amount of HP to one ally.
	Restores a little HP to one ally.
Protect (プロテス, Purotesu?) NES: FOG; PS: Shld1	1	3	—	—	—	One ally	100	Cornelia	Kn, RM, RW, WM, WW
	Increases one ally's Defense by 8.
	Raises one ally's defense.
Dia (ディア, Dia?) NES: HARM; PS: Dia1	1	5	20	24	—	All enemies	100	Cornelia	WM, WW
	Inflicts light non-elemental damage on all Undead enemies.
	Deals damage to all undead enemies.
Blink (ブリンク, Burinku?) NES: RUSE	1	3	—	—	—	Self	100	Cornelia	Kn, RW, WM, WW
	Increases own Evasion by 80.
	Raises caster's evasion.
NulShock (バサンダ, Basanda?) NES: ALIT; PS: NulBolt	2	8	—	—	—	All allies	400	Pravoka	Kn, RM, RW, WM, WW
	Grants resistance to Lightning to all allies.
	Reduces lightning damage by half for the entire party.
Invis (インビジ, Inbiji?) NES: INVS; PS: Invis1	2	5	—	—	—	One ally	400	Pravoka	Kn, RM, RW, WM, WW
	Increases one ally's Evasion by 40.
	Raises one ally's evasion.
Blindna (ブラナ, Burana?) NES: LAMP; PS: Lamp	2	3	—	—	—	One ally	400	Pravoka	Kn, RM, RW, WM, WW
	Removes Darkness from one ally.
	Cures darkness.
Silence (サイレス, Sairesu?) NES: MUTE	2	5	—	64	—[note 13]	All enemies	400	Pravoka	Kn, RM, RW, WM, WW
	Attempts to inflict Silence on all enemies.
	Casts silence on all enemies.
NulBlaze (バファイ, Bafai?) NES: AFIR; PS: NulFire	3	8	—	—	—	All allies	1,500	Elfheim	Kn, RM, RW, WM, WW
	Grants resistance to Fire to all allies.
	Reduces fire damage by half for the entire party.
Cura (ケアルア, Kearua?) NES: CUR2; PS: Cure2	3	10	33	—	—	One ally	1,500	Elfheim	Kn, RM, RW, WM, WW
	Restores a moderate amount of HP to one ally.
	Restores HP to one ally.
Heal (ヒール, Hīru?) NES: HEAL; PS: Heal1	3	10	12	—	—	All allies	1,500	Elfheim	WM, WW
	Restores a small amount of HP to all allies.
	Restores a little HP to entire party.
Diara (アディア, Adia?) NES: HRM2; PS: Dia2	3	12	40	24	—	All enemies	1,500	Elfheim	WM, WW
	Inflicts moderate non-elemental damage on all Undead enemies.
	Deals damage to all undead enemies.
NulFrost (バコルド, Bakorudo?) NES: AICE; PS: NulIce	4	8	—	—	—	All allies	4,000	Elfheim	RM, RW, WM, WW
	Grants resistance to Ice to all allies.
	Reduces ice damage by half for the entire party.
Vox (ボキャル, Bokyaru?) NES: AMUT	4	3	—	—	—	One ally	4,000	Elfheim	RW, WM, WW
	Removes Silence from one ally.
	Cures silence.
Fear (フィアー, Fiā?) NES: FEAR	4	10	—	24	Spirit[note 4]	All enemies	4,000	Elfheim	WM, WW
	Attempts to reduce Morale of all enemies by 40, making them more likely to flee.[note 14]
	Drives all foes away in terror.
Poisona (ポイゾナ, Poizona?) NES: PURE; PS: Esuna	4	3	—	—	—	One ally	4,000	Elfheim	RM, RW, WM, WW
	Removes Poison from one ally.
	Cures poison.
Curaga (ケアルダ, Kearuda?) NES: CUR3; PS: Cure3	5	20	66	—	—	One ally	8,000	Melmond	RM, RW, WM, WW
	Restores a large amount of HP to one ally.
	Restores a lot of HP to one ally.
Healara (ヒーラ, Hīra?) NES: HEL2; PS: Heal2	5	25	24	—	—	All allies	8,000	Melmond	WM, WW
	Restores a moderate amount of HP to all allies.[note 15]
	Restores HP to entire party.
Diaga (ダディア, Dadia?) NES: HRM3; PS: Dia3	5	25	60	24	—	All enemies	8,000	Melmond	WM, WW
	Inflicts heavy non-elemental damage on all Undead enemies.
	Deals damage to all undead enemies.
Life (レイズ, Reizu?) NES: LIFE; PS: Life1	5	20	—	—	—	One ally	8,000	Melmond	RW, WM, WW
	Revives one ally from KO with 1 HP.
	Revives one KO'd ally.
Exit (ダテレポ, Daterepo?) NES: EXIT; PS: Warp2	6	10	—	—	—	All allies	20,000	Crescent Lake	RW, WW
	Warp out of dungeon.
	Transports the party out of dungeons.
Protera (プロテア, Purotea?) NES: FOG2; PS: Shld2	6	20	—	—	—	All allies	20,000	Crescent Lake	RW, WM, WW
	Increases Defense of all allies by 12.
	Raises the party's defense.
Invisira (インビア, Inbia?) NES: INV2; PS: Invis2	6	25	—	—	—	All allies	20,000	Crescent Lake	RW, WM, WW
	Increases Evasion of all allies by 40.
	Raises the party's evasion.
Stona (ストナ, Sutona?) NES: SOFT	6	10	—	—	—	One ally	20,000	Crescent Lake	WM, WW
	Removes Stone from one ally.
	Cures stone.
NulDeath (バマジク, Bamajiku?) NES: ARUB; PS: NulMgc	7	28	—	—	—	All allies	40,000	Onrac	RW, WM, WW
	Grants immunity to all status effects and resistance to the Earth, Spirit, Poison, Time, and Instant Death elements to all allies.[note 16][note 17]
	Enhances the party's defense against instant death.
Curaja (ケアルガ, Kearuga?) NES: CUR4; PS: Cure4	7	35	—	—	—	One ally	45,000	Gaia	White Wizard
	Restores 999 HP to one ally[note 18] and removes Confuse, Darkness, Paralysis, Poison, Silence, and Sleep.
	Fully restores one ally's HP and cures some status effects.
Healaga (ラヒーラ, Rahīra?) NES: HEL3; PS: Heal3	7	38	48	—	—	All allies	40,000	Onrac	WM, WW
	Restores a large amount of HP to all allies.
	Restores a lot of HP to entire party.
Diaja (ガディア, Gadia?) NES: HRM4; PS: Dia4	7	35	80	48	—	All enemies	40,000	Gaia	White Wizard
	Inflicts massive non-elemental damage on all Undead enemies.
	Deals damage to all undead enemies.
Holy (ホーリー, Hōrī?) NES: FADE	8	50	80	107	—	All enemies	60,000	Gaia	White Wizard
	Inflicts massive non-elemental damage on all enemies.
	Damages all enemies with holy light.
Full-Life (アレイズ, Areizu?) NES: LIF2; PS: Life2	8	40	—	—	—	One ally	60,000	Lufenia	White Wizard
	Removes KO from one ally and restores 999 HP.[note 19]
	Revives one ally and fully restores HP.
NulAll (バオル, Baoru?) NES: WALL	8	40	—	—	—	One ally	60,000	Gaia	White Wizard
	Grants immunity to all status effects and resistance to all elements to one ally.[note 17]
	Reduces damage from spells by half.
Dispel (デスペル, Desuperu?) NES: XFER	8	35	—	107	—	One enemy	60,000	Gaia	White Wizard
	Attempts to remove all elemental resistances and status immunities from one enemy.[note 20][note 21]
	Negates one enemy's magical defenses.

Other appearances[]

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade[]

Ability Cards

Legend Cards

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[]

Behind the scenes[]

Early design documents for Final Fantasy depict magic spells organized into different tiers, some bore slightly different names, and there were only three spells per tier. There were no third-level Fire, Blizzard, or Thunder spells at this point in development. Two spells not present in the final game were planned: a White Magic spell named "Paralyna" that cured both the Sleep and Paralysis ailments, and a Black Magic "Misaira" (ミサイル, Missile) that "fired a small arrow of flame", likely a reference to the Dungeons & Dragons spell Magic Missile. In the final product many spells were shuffled between tiers and both Paralyna and Misaira were removed. A spell named Paralyna appeared much later in Final Fantasy XI.^[1]

Gallery[]

Etymology[]

[view · edit · purge]Magic or sorcery is an attempt to understand, experience and influence the world using rituals, symbols, actions, gestures and language that are believed to exploit supernatural forces.

Notes[]

Annotations[]

Citations[]