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para-magic/GFs
This is a basic guide to the way combat works in the FFVIII game universe. Please note that this information is only here to educate the uninitiated about the world, and isn't meant to dictate some kind of turn-based D&D combat style. We ask that you adhere to the general rules of the world, but you may handwave most of the junctioning/drawing/other JRPG combat nuisances unless otherwise mentioned.
For those characters that arrive with powers of their own, hardly any of this will probably be applicable. Though because of the way death works here, they may want to consider using the Junction System regardless of whether they 'need' it or not.
The Junction System is the primary combat skill Balamb Garden cadets are taught. The Junction System is a device that allows the user to replicate the powers of a Sorceress via the storage and control of magical powers and Guardian Forces. The system itself is capable of storing 32 different forms of Para-Magic with a stock of 100 units of each form.
The system acts as a type of filter, filtering out magic (known as Drawing) from a being or entity and storing it ready to be used or junctioned by the user. This allows the user to possess near superhuman abilities such as increased speed and strength as well as being able to use magic as a weapon. Various Junction Systems are seen in wide use in the military forces, particularly in SeeD.
The technology itself is a small hand held device with a simplistic 90s-esque interface. The user can select from four options: Junction, Off, Auto and Ability.
Junction:Gives you the option to junction a GF or Magic.
- GF: Select a GF from your list of available stored GFs to junction. Without junctioning a GF first, the rest of the options will not be available. You must junction a GF before you can use the rest of the Junction System.
- Magic: Select a stack of para-magic from your list of available stored para-magic to junction to a stat. Certain types of magic will be more effective when junctioned to certain stats. For a list of how each type of para-magic affects a stat, look here.
Off:Removes all currently junctioned GFs and para-magic.
Auto:Gives you the option to junction the strongest magic possible out of your current stock of para-magic. The auto menu provides three options for which stats get priority: Atk, Mag or Def.
- Atk: Attack. Junctions your strongest para-magic with priority to physical offense stats such as Strengh and Hit.
- Mag: Magic. Junctions your strongest para-magic with priority to magic offense stats such as Magic and Spirit.
- Def: Defense. Junctions your strongest para-magic with priority to defensive stats such as HP, Vitality, Evasion and Spirit.
Ability:Through technological advances, characters are no longer limited to a mere four abilities to choose from in battle. The full range of their tactical abilities are available to them: Attack, GF, Magic, Draw and Item. In addition to these, any Character/Party support abilities that their GF has learned may be used freely. Because of this, the former incarnation of this menu has been rendered obsolete and only displays Character/Party support abilities that your GF has learned. Though they can be used freely, they must still be junctioned and will be unavailable to use if your character forgets.
Abilities are used by characters NORMALLY, and won't need to be accessed through the Junction System or any sort of menu. We're not a turn-based JRPG so we won't be describing a character referencing his Junction System before attacking. This list's purpose is only to describe the range of actions a character can take during combat.
- Attack: A basic attack, you use this whenever you use physical force of any kind. Junctioning magic to Strength increases its damage.
- GF: Summoning a junctioned GF. In addition to enabling junctioning, a GF can be summoned to cause damage on its own. Taking on a momentary manifestation in the physical world, it will inflict damage on your foe with its element of choice before retreating back to the junctioned's mind. It is suggested the caster get the hell out of dodge before the GF performs its summon attack, as they don't have the benefit of 'fading out' of the picture as is the case in the video game.
- Magic: The act of casting any of your stockpiled para-magic.
- Draw: The act of siphoning para-magic from a foe. You may draw magic from anyone, even other player characters. The amount of magic you may draw each cast is determined by your Spirit. A high Spirit stat will yield up to 9 spells per draw, while an unjunctioned Spirit stat may only yield 1 or 2.
- Item: The act of using an item on your person. We ask that you be realistic about how much you can carry. Unlike FFVIII we are aiming for semi-realism in our combat system's execution, so no lugging around 100 potions and 100 tents.
Stats dictate how well someone performs in combat. HP, Strength, Vitality, Magic, Spirit, Speed, Evasion, Hit, Luck are the only junctionable stats. Because most fandom characters are already defined by their fighting abilities, players may assign some stats as higher than others as a "base stat" before junctioning, if they ever do.
- HP: A character's hit points. In the game, HP will be treated as a character's tolerance for pain. No one is required to keep track of numbers, in fact please don't. A higher HP will indicate a higher threshold for pain, but it's only a rough guideline.
- Strength: A character's ability to hit hard physically. Higher strength will pack more of a punch.
- Vitality: A character's ability to take damage. As opposed to HP, think of it more like armor. Instead of their ability to grin and bear it, it's how much it affects them at all.
- Magic: A character's ability to hit hard with any kind of magic.
- Spirit: Affects how much damage a character takes from magic. It's the magical equivalent to Vitality. Spirit also affects the potency of a Draw.
- Speed: How quickly a character moves in combat.
- Evasion: A character's ability to dodge.
- Hit: The accuracy of a character's attacks.
- Luck: Increases the chance of crit-hits among other things.
"Magic" used by ordinary people is actually "para-magic." In essence, it is a technique which involves controlling energy. Developed by Dr. Odine, he was able to divine a way to manipulate energy to replicate spells. To do this, the would-be spellcaster must "Draw" a specific spell from an enemy, or from a Draw Point. Using this drawn energy, that person may manipulate the energy in the battlefield to cast the spell.
Currently, the classes of para-magic are Fire, Ice/Water, Thunder/Wind, Earth, Holy, Non-Elemental, Restorative and Indirect.
- Fire: Magic spells that are incendiary in nature. The intent is generally to inflict injury through burns.
- Ice/Water: Magic spells that are glacial or aqueous in nature. The intent is generally to inflict injury through hypothermic or deluging effects.
- Thunder/Wind: Magic spells that are voltaic or turbulent in nature. The intent is generally to inflict injury through electric shock or other manipulations of weather.
- Earth: Magic spells that are tectonic in nature. The intent is generally to inflict injury through earthquake.
- Holy: Magic spells that are sacred in nature. The intent is generally to inflict injury through divine means.
- Non-Elemental: Magic spells that have no elemental affiliation.
- Restorative: Magic spells intended to cure wounds and restore health.
- Indirect: Magic spells that indirectly harm or protect the target.
Within these classes lie subclasses of para-magic. New subclasses of para-magic are being discovered every day, but some of the current known ones are Life, Forbidden, Time, Support and Status.
- Life: Magic that pertains to life and death as well as holy elemental magic, such as the spells Holy and Zombie.
- Forbidden: Powerful non-elemental spells, such as Ultima and Meteor.
- Time: Includes time magic, gravity and earth spells such as Slow, Demi, and Quake.
- Support: Spells that protect or enhance a character with positive status such as Shell, Dispel, and Aura.
- Status: Spells that inflict negative status, such as Blind and Bio. These spells last until cured unless otherwise noted.
Guardian Forces, often shortened to GFs, are the summoned creatures of the world and are used by junctioning them. A GF is an independent energy force. By combining it with para-magic, it is possible to control tremendous energy. The GF govern major stat growth and elemental/status offense and defense.
Each GF has a preset list of abilities they can learn, but through the use of certain items, the GF can learn additional abilities and forget those that were previously learned. GFs learn abilities through the acquisition of AP in-game -- however, in Witches Reign they will simply learn them over time. How fast or slow a GF learns their abilities is up to the player.
It is a known side-effect that long-term junctioning of Guardian Forces causes memory loss to the user, because the GF draw power from the same section of the mind that stores memories, so using them is not without risks. However, Guardian Forces are powerful creatures that make the SeeDs super-humans, providing them with multiple above-human capabilities and energy. Balamb Garden previously determined that harnessing the GF power is worth the risk. However, as of January 8th 2013, the standard Junction device issued at Garden has been replaced with an upgraded version which eliminates the hazard of memory loss. This unfortunately does not apply to canon GFs that are brought to Garden by time compressed canon FFVIII characters, which are not compatible with the new model devices and still carry the risk of memory loss.
SeeD Cadets are provided two initial GFs: Shiva and Quezacotl. Students are welcomed and encouraged to assign names to their GFs for a more personal experience. Thanks to Dr. Odine's technology, downloadable GFs are available en masse to every student of Balamb Garden. However, beyond the initial two, Garden will not provide GFs to students. Instead they will be placed about the world for exploring SeeD Cadets to find. SeeD Cadets must possess 5 or more GFs before they are eligible to take the SeeD exam.
As well, there are unjunctionable GFs that may be acquired during a SeeDs travels. These GFs may agree to assist the character in question, but can not be attained to junction or summon. They will appear to the character at random when they see fit.
Those new to the world may notice their own summons/personas/pet dragons/my dog skip/other spirital/magical entities being translated into a GF. Scientists still don't know the cause for the phenomenon, but will blame it on Time Compression. Any person that arrives with a personal GF(s) may find it in their Junction System device, entirely unique to them. This means no other person in the game may use this GF unless they draw it from the user.
*Players may decide on what element/attack/etc they want for their personal GF.
Guardian Forces are not required to be used by all cadets. Cadets will have the option to opt out of junctioning once they become SeeD, but they will still be required to learn the process of junctioning in the Intro to Guardian Forces and Para-Magic class. Though, it should be noted that without junctioning Guardian Forces, Para-Magic cannot be used.
Guardian Forces currently available for download (As of January 2013):
- Shiva
- Quetzalcoatl
- Siren
- Ifrit
- Diablos
- Carbuncle
From here on we'll provide a complete, detailed list of para-magic and GFs.
Para-magic: [ Fire / Ice&Water / Thunder&Wind / Earth / Holy / Non-Elemental / Restorative / Indirect ]
Known GFs: [ Quezacotl / Shiva / Ifrit / Siren / Brothers / Diablos / Carbuncle / Leviathan / Pandemona / Cerberus / Alexander / Doomtrain / Bahamut / Cactuar / Tonberry / Eden / Odin / Gilgamesh / Boko / Phoenix / Moomba / MiniMog ]
Fire Element Para-magic:
Fire:Low-powered fire-elemental damage.
Fira:Mid-powered fire-elemental damage.
Firaga:High-powered fire-elemental damage.
Ice/Water Element Para-magic:
Blizzard:Low-powered ice-elemental damage.
Blizzara:Mid-powered ice-elemental damage.
Blizzaga:High-powered ice-elemental damage.
Water:Low-powered water-elemental damage.
Thunder/Wind Element Para-magic:
Thunder:Low-powered lightning-elemental damage.
Thundara:Mid-powered lightning-elemental damage.
Thundaga:High-powered lightning-elemental damage.
Aero:Mid-powered wind-elemental damage.
Tornado:High-powered wind-elemental damage to all enemies.
Earth Element Para-magic:
Quake:Earth-elemental damage to multiple targets.
Holy Element Para-magic:
Holy:High-powered holy-elemental damage.
Non-Elemental Para-magic:
Flare:High-powered non-elemental damage.
Death:Instantly kill target enemy.
Demi:Reduce target's HP by half.
Drain:Damages target and heals self by same amount.
Meteor:Hits ten random targets for random damage.
Ultima:High-powered non-elemental damage to all enemies.
Apocalypse:High-powered non-elemental damage to all enemies. Strongest para-magic available.
Restorative Para-magic:
Cure:Low-powered curative spell.
Cura:Mid-powered curative spell.
Curaga:High-powered curative spell.
Life:Revive a KO'd ally with minimal health.
Full-Life:Revive a KO'd ally with maximum health.
Regen:Target slowly recovers HP over time.
Esuna:Heals the target of status ailments.
Dispel:Heals the target of magic effects.
Indirect Para-magic:
Zombie:While a character or enemy suffers from the Zombie status, healing magic (and some healing items) have the reverse effect. Cure, for example, would injure rather than heal. Additionally, the spell Life instead has the same effect as Death.
Haste:Increase target's speed.
Slow:Decrease target's speed.
Stop:Paralyzes the target by stopping them in time.
Double:Enables the target to cast two spells in quick succession.
Triple:Enables the target to cast three spells in quick succession.
Protect:Erects a magic barrier around the target, vastly increasing their defense against physical attacks (Vitality).
Shell:Erects a magic barrier around the target, vastly increasing their defense against magic attacks (Spirit). However, it also dampens Restorative magic's effects.
Reflect:Reflects offensive and Restorative magic off of the target.
Aura:Enables the target to use Limit Breaks even when at full health. This spell will most likely be useless to any character outside of FF8 canon.
Bio:Inflicts Poison which deals poison-elemental damage over time.
Break:Inflicts Petrify on the target.
Blind:Blinds the target.
Silence:Disallows the target from casting any kind of para-magic or GF summon.
Berserk:Target is inflicted with rage and won't cease until everything in sight is dead or they're cured. They are only able to use physical attacks.
Sleep:Target is put to sleep.
Confusion:Target becomes confused and will perform random actions such as using items inappropriate for the occasion, using Restorative magic at full health or hitting themselves or team mates.
Pain:Inflicts Blind, Silence and Poison on the target.
Meltdown:Reduces the target's Vitality to zero.
Float:Target hovers over the ground for a half hour or until dispelled.
Scan:Reveals name, age, gender and stat information about the target.
Quetzalcotl:A Lightning-based GF, Quetzalcotl is one of the first GFs a SeeD Cadet in Balamb Garden will receive. Find a list of the abilities this GF can learn here.
Thunder Storm: 'Dark thundering clouds blast powerful lightning at the ground, summoning Quezacotl. As the massive bird arises from the earth, he creates a large energy field. A channel of intense electrical energy is blasted upon the enemy.'
Etymology: Quetzalcoatl is one of the major deities in ancient Mesoamerican mythology. Quetzalcōhuātl means in the Nahuatl language "feathered serpent".
Shiva:
Diamond Dust: 'The frozen body of Shiva arises from the ground. Awaking from her sleep, the empress of ice shatters her icy slumber. She lifts her arm into the air, gathering a chilling energy that is forcefully blasted upon all enemies.'
Etymology: Shiva is a major Hindu deity. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is regarded as one of the five primary forms of God.
Ifrit:
Hell Fire: 'Ifrit appears in a whirl of fire. He leaps into the air, pulling a large chunk of hot molten earth with him. With a mighty punch, Ifrit sends the large mass of scorching rock down to the surface, impacting against the enemy party.'
Etymology: In Islāmic mythology, a class of infernal jinn (spirits below the level of angels and devils) noted for their strength and cunning. An ifrit is an enormous winged creature of smoke, either male or female, who lives underground and frequents ruins.
Siren:
Silent Voice: 'Beautiful purple waves wash over the enemy, submerging them to a far away ocean. Siren appears, sitting on a lone surfaced rock, playing her harp. Her music plays through the enemies, causing silence and non-elemental damage.'
Etymology: Sirens are sea nymphs who by their singing lure sailors to their destruction.
Brothers:
Brotherly Love: 'Sacred lifts the battlefield from underneath the enemies and hurls it into the air. His brother Minotaur appears in a paper-rock-scissors duel. Sacred loses and leaps off Minotaur, obliterating the chunk of ground in the sky.'
During dialogue sequences, Sacred speaks only in capitals, while Minotaur speaks only in lower-case letters. Ironically, while Sacred is the younger brother and Minotaur is the older brother, Sacred is much bigger in size than Minotaur.
Diablos:
Dark Messenger: 'A large black liquid orb decends from above and deposits Diablos into the open. He reaches into the sky and charges the massive orb with gravity energy and slams it onto the battlefield. It brutally crushes all enemies.'
Etymology: Greek for devil.
Carbuncle:
Ruby Light: 'A small hole forms in the ground as a tiny creature peers out. Carbuncle leaps into the air as his shiny red ruby comes to life, casting Reflect on the entire party. He flips back into the hole and lets the battle resume.'
Etymology: Originally of rubies, garnets, and other red jewels; in English the word was applied to tumors from late 14c.
Leviathan:
Tsunami: 'Leviathan slithers in a liquid state, slowly approaching the enemy. As he rises from the ground, a massive cliff climbs from below. A powerful energy transforms him into a waterfall, showering powerful waves over the battlefield.'
Etymology: "dragon, serpent, huge sea animal," of unknown origin, perhaps related to liwyah "wreath," from base l-w-h- "to wind, turn, twist."
Pandemona:
Tornado Zone: 'Pandemona slowly approaches the earth from the center of a tornado. Everything in his path is inhaled, including all enemies. After exhaling, all enemies are blown back onto the battlefield, sustaining massive wind damage.'
Etymology: 1667, Pandæmonium, in "Paradise Lost" the name of the palace built in the middle of Hell, "the high capital of Satan and all his peers," coined by John Milton (1608-74)
from Gk. pan- "all" + L.L. dæmonium "evil spirit," from Gk. daimonion "inferior divine power," from daimon "lesser god".
Transferred sense "place of uproar" is from 1779; that of "wild, lawless confusion" is from 1865.
Cerberus:
Counter Rockets: 'The gates of hell open, releasing the three-headed monster Cerberus. All three heads point to the sky, sending powerful waves of energy to the party, casting Double and Triple on each character.'
Etymology: "watch-dog guardian of Hades," late 14c., Latinized form of Gk. Kerberos, of unknown origin.
Alexander:
Holy Judgement: 'This large mechanic beast takes position behind a large mountain. Two massive launchers open up, drawing power from the heavens. Alexander unleashes a horde of holy energy bombardment onto the enemy party.'
Etymology: proper name, from L., from Gk. Alexandros "defender of men," from alexein "to ward off, keep off, turn (something) away, defend, protect"
Doomtrain:
Runaway Train: 'Railroad crossing bells ring as a track of flames whisks under the enemy party. From afar, a massive train roars and gains speed. Doomtrain slams through all enemies, causing all status ailments and depleting vitality.'
Etymology: Its Japanese name, Glasya-Labolas refers to a demon count/president mentioned in the the 17th century Grimoire, The Lesser Key of Solomon. Note that the GF Doomtrain is obtained from the item Solomon's Ring.
The concept of a living, and evil train is possibly a reference to, or at least bears a strong resemblance to the character, "Blaine the Mono", from Stephen King's Dark Tower series of books.
The 6 Malboro Tentacles, 6 Steel Pipes, and 6 Remedy+ it takes to summon him are a reference to the "Number of the Beast."
Bahamut:
Mega Flare: 'Bahamut soars in the sky, through the clouds. As he approaches the battlefield, he blasts the enemy party with several fireballs. Charging his mega flare, he showers the battlefield with destruction, inflicting powerful non-elemental damage. No protective spell can defend it.'
Etymology: Bahamut (Arabic بهموت Bahamūt) originated as an enormous fish in ancient pre-Islamic Arabian mythology. Upon Bahamut's back stands a bull with four thousand eyes, ears, noses, mouths, tongues and feet called Kujuta (also spelled "Kuyutha"). Between each of these is a distance of a 500-year journey. On the back of Kujuta is a mountain of ruby. Atop this mountain is an angel who carries six hells, earth, and seven heavens on its shoulders.
Another version of the Arabic story is that Bahamut is indeed a dragon and he stands on a whale called Liwash.
In modern times the game Dungeons & Dragons is responsible for reimagining Bahamut as the king of dragons, a benevolent Platinum Dragon; the opposite of the malevolent Tiamat the five headed Chromatic Queen of Dragons.
Cactuar:
1000 Needles: 'Cactuar springs into action. He leaps into the air, taking in powerful radiation from the sky. Cactuar sprays the battlefield with a thousand needles, causing significant non-elemental damage.'
Etymology: He is a cactus.
Tonberry:
Chef's Knife: 'A tiny Tonberry appears from a hole in the ground, crawls out, and lights his lantern. He slowly waddles closer to the enemy and stabs it with his knife for non-elemental damage.'
Eden:
Eternal Breath: 'Eden focuses a massive tunnel of energy onto the enemies from orbit. The winds change, the world stops, and the chaos begins. The enemy is lifted through a magical portal from the ground and sent into a malevolent, mind-destroying vortex of eternity.'
Etymology: The Garden of Eden in the Old Testament of the Bible in the book of Genesis is a paradise that God created for his earliest creations, including the first humans, Adam and Eve. Also, according to the Ragnarok's origins, the Centra legend of the Dragon Ship, Eden may be the legendary Dragon Ship itself, and it could be assumed that due to the 'Garden' theme of the schools, this is the oldest Centra weapon and thus why it carries this name.
Odin:
Zantetsuken: Instantly kill all normal enemies; Appears randomly in random battles.
Etymology: Óðinn (Odin) (pronounced OH-din) is the leader of the Æsir in Norse Mythology and is the god of wisdom, poetry, war and death and he is attributed with the discovery of Runes. He, along with his two brothers, Vili and Vé, is credited with the creation of the realm of mankind, Miðgarður (Midgard), and for mankind itself. His eight legged horse, Sleipnir, and his magical dwarven spear Gungnir have also been depicted. At Ragnarök (the end of the gods) Óðinn shall rally the dead warriors to fight on the side of the gods.
Gilgamesh:
Zantetsuken, Excalibur, Masamune or Excalipoor: Randomly selects attack: Zantetsuken: Instantly kill all normal enemies (fails on bosses). Excalibur: Moderate physical damage to all enemies. Masamune: Heavy physical damage Excalipoor: 1 point of damage; Appears randomly in any battle.
Etymology: Gilgamesh was an actual king of an ancient Sumerian region called Uruk, reigning around 2650 BCE. He is also the main character of the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is among one of the earliest known literary works, the most complete edition dating back to the 7th century BCE, though earlier editions date back to about 2000 BCE.
Boko:
ChocoFire, ChocoFlare, ChocoMeteor, ChocoBocle: From weakest to strongest: ChocoFire, ChocoFlare, ChocoMeteor, ChocoBocle; all are non-elemental attacks that hit all enemies
Phoenix:
Rebirth Flame: Revives all KO'd characters and deals moderate Fire-elemental damage.
Etymology:
Ðone wudu weardaþ wundrum fæger
fugel feþrum se is fenix hatan
["Phoenix," c.900]
Fig. sense of "that which rises from the ashes of what was destroyed" is attested from 1591.
Moomba:
MoombaMoomba: Reduces one target's HP to one, or if the target has more than 9999 HP, deals 9999 damage.
MiniMog:
Moogle Dance: Heals all GFs juctioned.
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