Terrain (Final Fantasy III)

The Terrain (ちけい, Chikei?) is a Geomancer command in Final Fantasy III that gives a random effect depending on where the Geomancer casts it.

2D versions[]

The Geomancer is a job obtained from the Water Crystal in the Cave of Tides; this makes the Terrain effects in dungeons visited before the Cave of Tides redundant in a normal playthrough. The "earth" and "water" elements are just inferred, because there is no enemy weak against these two elements.

Effects are sorted by backfire rate.

Name	Terrain	Power	Hit Rate	Effect	Backfire rate
Whirlpool	Surface: seas, sea bottom Dungeons: Temple of Time, sunken cave, Saronia catacombs	120	60%	Damage to all enemies.	Low
Earthquake	Surface: plains Dungeons: all dungeons before Water Crystal, Falgabaard cave, Doga's cave (floor 1/a) Boss rooms: Dragon Spire (top floor), Saronia catacombs, Bahamut's lair, Syrcus Tower, World of Darkness (x5 bosses)	90	50%	Damage to all enemies.	Low
Landslide	Surface: Mountains Dungeons: Doga's cave (floor 3)	120	40%	Damage to all enemies.	Low
Cyclone	Surface: sky (airships) Dungeons: Bahamut's lair, Doga's cave (floor 2)	120	60%	Damage to one enemy (air element).	Medium
Wind Slash	Surface: forests Dungeons: most dungeons after Water Crystal	120	30%	Damage to one enemy (air element).	Medium
Rapids	Surface: lakes and rivers Dungeons: Cave of Tides, Lake Dohr	0	40%	Instantly defeats one enemy.	High
Bottomless Bog	Surface: Saronia swamps Dungeons: Doga's cave (floor 1/b)	0	40%	Instantly defeats one enemy.	High
Quicksand	Surface: deserts Dungeons: (none)	0	30%	Instantly defeats one enemy.	High
Backfire	Anywhere	0	100%	User's HP is cut by 25% of maximum. Does not backfire in the pixel remaster version.	—

Gallery[]

3D remake versions[]

The damage done by Terrain is equal to the following formula:

Damage = \frac{(Power + JobLv \times 2) \times (INT + MND)}{Adjustment \times Random No.}

Name	Effect	Terrain
Black Hole	Inflicts Instant Death to one enemy.	40%: Southwest Saronia and Eureka
Cave-In	Inflicts Earth-elemental damage to one enemy.	38%: Deserts, Altar Cave, Mythril Mine, Sealed Cave, Tozus Tunnel, Cave of the Circle, Ancient Ruins, Ancients' Maze, Doga's Grotto, Cave of Shadows, Bahamut's Lair, and Falgabard
Earthquake	Inflicts Earth-elemental damage to all enemies.	40%: Deserts, Altar Cave, Mythril Mine, Sealed Cave, Tozus Tunnel, Cave of the Circle, Ancient Ruins, Ancients' Maze, Doga's Grotto, Cave of Shadows, Bahamut's Lair, and Falgabard 22%: World of Darkness
Flame Burst	Inflicts Fire-elemental damage to one enemy.	38%: Molten Cave 22%: World of Darkness
Ice Pillar	Inflicts Ice and Water-elemental damage to one enemy.	40%: Sea, Underneath Sea, Nepto Shrine, Tower of Owen (ground floor), Saronia Catacombs, Sunken Shrine, ???, Cave of Tides, Amur Sewers, Lake Dohr, Falgabard Waterfall, Temple of Time, Subterranean Lake 23%: World of Darkness
Ice Storm	Inflicts Ice and Water-elemental damage to all enemies.	50%: Ur 48%: Forest and Grassland, Dragon's Peak, Castle Sasune, Bahamut's Boss Fight, Crystal Tower, Dragon Spire, Castle Hein, Goldor Manor, Tower of Owen (except ground floor), and Sky
Magma	Inflicts Fire-elemental damage to all enemies.	40%: Molten Cave
Shadowflare	Major non-elemental damage to one enemy.	40%: Southwest Saronia and Eureka 10%: World of Darkness 2%: Deserts, Altar Cave, Mythril Mine, Sealed Cave, Tozus Tunnel, Cave of the Circle, Ancient Ruins, Ancients' Maze, Doga's Grotto, Cave of Shadows, Bahamut's Lair, Falgabard, Forest and Grassland, Dragon's Peak, Castle Sasune, Bahamut's Boss Fight, Crystal Tower, Dragon Spire, Castle Hein, Goldor Manor, Tower of Owen (except ground floor), Sky, Molten Cave
Whirlpool	Inflicts Ice and Water-elemental damage to all enemies.	38%: Sea, Underneath Sea, Nepto Shrine, Tower of Owen (ground floor), Saronia Catacombs, Sunken Shrine, ???, Cave of Tides, Amur Sewers, Lake Dohr, Falgabard Waterfall, Temple of Time, Subterranean Lake
Wind Slash	Inflicts Wind-elemental damage to one enemy.	50%: Forest and Grassland, Dragon's Peak, Castle Sasune, Bahamut's Boss Fight, Crystal Tower, Dragon Spire, Castle Hein, Goldor Manor, Tower of Owen (except ground floor), Sky, and Ur. 23%: World of Darkness 20%: Deserts, Altar Cave, Mythril Mines, Sealed Cave, Tozus Tunnel, Cave of the Circle, Ancient Ruins, Falgabard, Bahamut's Lair, Cave of Shadows, Doga's Grotto, Ancient's Maze, Sea, Underneath Sea, Nepto Shrine, Tower of Owen (ground floor), Saronia Catacombs, Sunken Shrine, ???, Cave of Tides, Amur Sewers, Lake Dohr, Falgabard Waterfall, Temple of Time, Subterranean Lake, Molten Cave, Southwest Saronia and Eureka

Table for gameplay[]

The player is unlikely to visit a specific location just for a specific Terrain ability; it is useful to know which techniques can happen in a specific terrain.

All terrain types (except for the World of Darkness) follow the same structure:

38–40% chance of an elemental attack against all enemies;
38–40% chance of an elemental attack against a single enemy;
20% chance of Wind Slash (except for Wind terrains, where it accumulates with #2);
2% chance of Shadowflare (except for non-elemental terrains, where it accumulates with #2);

Terrain	Locations	Name	Effect
Earth	Deserts, Altar Cave, Mythril Mine, Sealed Cave, Tozus Tunnel, Cave of the Circle, Ancient Ruins, Ancients' Maze, Doga's Grotto, Cave of Shadows, Bahamut's Lair, and Falgabard	40%: Earthquake	Inflicts Earth-elemental damage to all enemies.
		38%: Close-In	Inflicts Earth-elemental damage to one enemy.
		20%: Wind Slash	Inflicts Wind-elemental damage to one enemy.
		2%: Shadowflare	Major non-elemental damage to one enemy.
Fire	Molten Cave	40%: Magma	Inflicts Fire-elemental damage to all enemies.
		38%: Flame Burst	Inflicts Fire-elemental damage to one enemy.
		20%: Wind Slash	Inflicts Wind-elemental damage to one enemy.
		2%: Shadowflare	Major non-elemental damage to one enemy.
Water	Sea, Underneath Sea, Nepto Shrine, Tower of Owen 1F, Saronia Catacombs, Sunken Shrine, ???, Cave of Tides, Amur Sewers, Lake Dohr, Falgabard Waterfall, Temple of Time, Subterranean Lake	38%: Whirlpool	Attempts to inflict Instant Death on all enemies.
		40%: Ice Pillar	Inflicts Ice and Water-elemental damage to one enemy.
		20%:Wind Slash	Inflicts Wind-elemental damage to one enemy.
		2%: Shadowflare	Major non-elemental damage to one enemy.
Wind	Forest and Land (overworld), Dragon's Peak, Castle Sasune, Bahamut's Boss Fight, Crystal Tower, Dragon Spire, Castle Hein, Goldor Manor, Tower of Owen (except Floor 1), Sky, and Ur.^[1]	48%: Ice Storm	Inflicts Ice and Water-elemental damage to all enemies.
		50%: Wind Slash	Inflicts Wind-elemental damage to one enemy.
		2%: Shadowflare	Major non-elemental damage to one enemy.
Non-Elemental	Southwest Saronia, Eureka	40%: Black Hole	Inflicts Instant Death to one enemy.
		40%: Shadowflare	Major non-elemental damage to one enemy.
		20%: Wind Slash	Inflicts Wind-elemental damage to one enemy.
Darkness	World of Darkness	22%: Earthquake	Inflicts Earth-elemental damage to all enemies.
		22%: Flame Burst	Inflicts Fire-elemental damage to one enemy.
		23%: Ice Pillar	Inflicts Ice and Water-elemental damage to one enemy.
		23%:Wind Slash	Inflicts Wind-elemental damage to one enemy.
		10%: Shadowflare	Major non-elemental damage to one enemy.