Welcome to DQ8's stat topic! Fun times will surely ensue within!
DQ8 plays nearly exactly like any other DQ game, so if you're familiar with any of them, this should be pretty simple to understand. For those of you who haven't played any of the games in the series, shame on you, but I'll forgive you for it.
MechanicsThe game runs under a turn-based battle system, with higher agility characters acting first, with a bit of random variance thrown in for fun. Yes, FUN! The exact amount is unknown, but it shouldn't be more than +/- 25. Closer to the lower end, all things considered. Stat explanation, for good times:
Vital Statistics and What They MeanHP: Indicates the amount of life-force a character has; once reduced to 0, the character is deader than Britney Spears' career
MP: Indicates the amount of spiritual force a character has; this stat is expended upon using special abilities, and must exceed or equal the cost of the ability to be able to use that ability
Strength: Base Attack stat
Agility: Speeeeeeeeeeeeeed and evasion
Resilence: Base for Defense stat
Wisdom: The always useless wisdom stat actually has a use this time - all spells have a wisdom range for damage, so the higher this is, the higher the damage of spells; this has no effect on reducing magical damage received, however
Characters have innate resistances and equipment-related resistances (equipment listed in the 3rd post of this topic), but otherwise are all equal when it comes to receiving magical damage. Defense is quartered and Attack is halved for damage purposes, so, for example, 200 defense reduces damage by 50 points. More of it is obviously better, but you need a lot of it. If an attack would fail to break defense, it either does 0 or 1 damage, equal chance of either.
Note that none of the Attack+X skills are factored in to damages below. Attack+25 raises damage by about 13, so it's not a huge difference overall, but should be noted.
For Moses, I'm not assuming his Dragovian stuff, though I will list it. Unique stuff, simple concoctions in the Alchemy Pot and storeboughts are listed below. As a note, all weapon statuses seem to be ~10% accurate, so generally not that useful overall, but there if desired. Equipment is thus:
WeaponsHeroFlametang Boomerang - +63 Attack, fire, hits all targets; found
Dragonsbane - +72 Attack, 60% more damage to dragons; storebought
Blizzard Blade - +90 Attack, ice; storebought
Hero Spear - +100 Attack, heals 10% of damage done; beat Monster Arena Rank A
Metal Wing Boomerang - +90 Attack; Alchemy; requires finishing the game once to acquire the material components
Metal King Spear - +120 Attack; found; requires finishing the game once
Dragovian King Sword - +137 Attack, casts Kazap (200 lightning magic damage) when used; Alchemy; requires finishing the game once to acquire the material components
YangusBardiche of Binding - +83 ATK, 25% more damage to demons; inflicts silence; found
Conqueror's Axe - +103 Attack; found
Megaton Hammer - +108 Attack, increased critical hit rate; Alchemy
Heavy Hatchet - +110 Attack; storebought
Flail of Destruction - +125 Attack, hits all targets; 110 Small Medal Reward; requires finishing the game once to acquire all the small medals
JessicaDragonsbane - +72 Attack, 30% more damage to dragons; storebought
Staff of Resurrection - +77 Attack, casts Zing when used; storebought
Blizzard Blade - +90 Attack, ice; storebought
Gringham Whip - +127 Attack, hits all targets; casino
AngeloStaff of Resurrection - +77 Attack, casts Zing when used; storebought
Mercury's Rapier - +78 Attack, +20 Agility; Alchemy
Shamshir of Light - +110 Attack; Alchemy
Odin's Bow - +125 Attack; Alchemy
HelmetsMercury's Bandana - +23 Defense, +15 Agility (Hero); Alchemy
Thinking Cap - +38 Defense, +15 Wisdom (Jess, Angelo); storebought
Golden Tiara - +43 Defense, resists silence, sleep, confusion and death (Jess); Alchemy
Great Helm - +45 Defense (Yangus, Hero); storebought
Phantom Mask - +48 Defense, raises evasion (Angelo); Alchemy
Dragovian Helm - +50 Defense (Hero); beat Lord of Dragovians; requires beating the game once
ShieldsIce Shield - +33 Defense, ice attacks do 5 less damage, casts an ice-specific Insulate when used (Hero, Angelo); storebought
Flame Shield - +34 Defense, fire attacks do 10 less damage, casts a fire-specific Insulate when used (Jess, Yangus); storebought
Power Shield - +38 Defense, fire and ice attacks do 15 less damage, casts Midheal when used (Hero, Yangus, Angelo); storebought
Mirror Shield - +43 Defense, random chance of reflecting spells (Hero, Angelo); storebought
Saintess Shield - +46 Defense, reduces fire and ice damage by 2/3 (Jess); Alchemy
Silver Shield - +48 Defense, fire attacks do 20 less damage (Hero, Angelo, Yangus); Alchemy
Big Boss Shield - +50 Defense, casts Kasap when used (Yangus); acquired from trading with Dodgy Dave
Dragovian Shield - +60 Defense (Hero), fire attacks do 30 less damage; beat Lord of Dragovians; requires beating the game once
ArmourMagical Skirt - +55 Defense, reduces spell damage by 2/3 (Jess); Alchemy
Crimson Robe - +82 Defense, ice attacks do 20 less damage (Jess, Angelo); Alchemy
Mirror Armour - +92 Defense, random chance of reflecting spells (Hero, Angelo); storebought
Princess's Robe - +94 Defense, spells do 30 less damage (Jess); Alchemy
Gigant Armour - +95 Defense, fire and ice attacks do 30 less damage (Yangus); storebought
Divine Bustier - +105 Defense, raises evasion (Jess); Alchemy
Dragovian Armour - +110 Defense (Hero), fire and ice attacks do 30 less damage; beat Lord of Dragovians; requires beating the game once
AccessoriesFishnet Stockings - +8 Defense (Jess); 32 Small Medal Reward
Templer's Ring - +5 Defense (All); Initial on Angelo
Tension is a new feature in this game that allows a PC to focus for a turn. Each time they do this, the tension meter rises. One use raises it to 5, two to 20, three to 50, and four to 100. The use of a tension-dependent skill after tensing (which includes nearly everything except full healing/revival) will raise the effects of the skill by 1.7, 3, 5, and 7.5 times, respectively, for each tension level.
I am assuming characters have level 40 skill point totals, and am taking what I feel is the "best" set-up for them in the DL. The skill point totals for each character are as follows:
Hero - 189
Yangus - 202
Jessica - 207
Angelo - 149
All skills learned naturally, via plot or via the skill trees listed in the character descriptions are taken into account below. Additional skills not listed here will be listed later if so desired.
Moses/Watermelon/Eight/Meeple/Bob/Guv/HeroLvl 40
HP: 408
MP: 197
Strength: 123
Agility: 100
Resilence: 56
Wisdom: 168
Attack: 223/213 (260)
Defense: 236 (276)
Innate ~25% reduction to lightning
100 Courage, 89 Sword
Equipment:
Hero Spear/Blizzard Blade (Dragovian King Sword)
Great Helm (Dragovian Helmet)
Mirror Shield (Dragovian Shield)
Mirror Armour (Dragovian Armour)
Attack: 65 physical damage, heals 7 HP (60 ice physical damage) [83 physical damage with Dragovian King Sword]
Heal (2 MP): Heals ~35 HP
Midheal (3 MP): Heals ~85 HP
Fullheal (6 MP): Full healing
Omniheal (36 MP): Fully healing, MT
Squelch (2 MP): Cures poison status
Tingle (2 MP): Cures sleep and paralyze status
Zing (8 MP): 50% chance of reviving a target to 50% max HP
Sizz (4 MP): 40 fire magic damage, GT
Sizzle (6 MP): 72 fire magic damage, GT
Kasizzle (10 MP): 100 fire magic damage, GT
Zap (6 MP): 100 lightning magic damage, MT
Kazap (15 MP): 120 lightning magic damage, MT
Fizzle (3 MP): ~33% chance of inflicting Silence, GT
Spell Cost -50%: Lowers cost of all abilities by 50%
*Not factored into the above and below skills*
Dragon Slash (0 MP) : 60 ice physical damage; 50% more power against Dragon enemies
Flame Slash (0 MP): 60 fire physical damage
Metal Slash (0 MP): 60 ice physical damage; versus Metal enemies, deals 1-2 damage
Critical Hit Up: Raises critical hit rate with swords from nearly never to somewhat more common but still rare
Falcon Slash (0 MP): 90 ice physical damage
Attack +25: Attack stat rises by 25 when using a sword
Miracle Slash (4 MP): 86 ice physical damage, heals 38 HP
Gigaslash (20 MP): 176 magic damage, GT
Gigagash (20 MP): 254 magic damage, GT
Call Team (10 MP): Summons the monster team to fight for 3-4 rounds; similar to the Magus Sisters, as in you cannot control their actions; has initiative. (can only be used twice per battle; may not call the same team twice in one battle - see post later in topic for more notes)
Dragon Soul (64 MP): 413 magic damage
YangusLvl 40
HP: 438
MP: 81
Strength: 145
Agility: 82
Resilence: 66
Wisdom: 97
Attack: 255/248
Defense: 256
Innate ~25% reduction to fire
100 Scythe, 42 Axe, 60 Humanity
Equipment:
Heavy Hatchet/Conqueror's Axe
Great Helm
Big Boss Shield
Gigant Armour
Attack: 81 physical damage (77 physical damage)
Wind Sickles (0 MP): 104 wind magic damage
Critical Hit Up: Raises critical hit rate with scythes from nearly never to somewhat more common but still rare
Stainless Steel Sickle (0 MP): 106 physical damage; 1% chance of stealing an item
Attack +25: Attack stat rises by 25 when using a scythe
Grimmer Reaper (3 MP) : 81 physical damage; 25% more power against Zombies; inflicts instant death ~50%, GT
Big Banga (30 MP): 200 fire magic damage, MT
Helm Splitter (0 MP): 77 physical damage; lowers target defense by 50%
Hatchet Man (3 MP): Equal chance of missing, dealing normal damage, or dealing 248 physical ITD damage
Critical Hit Up: Raises critical hit rate with axes from nearly never to somewhat more common but still rare
Attack +10: Attack stat rises by 10 when using an axe
Parallax (2 MP): 114 physical damage; inflicts paralysis ~50%
Heal (2 MP): Heals ~35 HP
Warcry (0 MP): ~33% chance of inflicting Stun, GT
Kabuff (3 MP): Raises defense by 25%, MT
Underpants Dance (0 MP): ~40% chance of inflicting Stun, MT
JessicaLvl 40
HP: 322
MP: 273 (+100 with a staff equipped)
Strength: 86
Agility: 136
Resilence: 48
Wisdom: 240
Attack: 213
Defense: 250
Innate ~25% reduction to wind, grappling
100 Fisticuffs, 84 Staff, 23 Whip
Equipment:
Gringham Whip
Golden Tiara
Saintess Shield
Divine Bustier
Fishnet Stockings
Attack: 60 physical damage, MT
Crack (3 MP): 60 ice magic damage
Crackle (5 MP): 100 ice magic damage, GT
Kacrackle (12 MP): 105 ice magic damage, MT
Frizz (2 MP): 28 fire magic damage
Frizzle (4 MP): 140 fire magic damage
Kafrizzle (10 MP): 209 fire magic damage
Sizz (4 MP): 40 fire magic damage, GT
Sizzle (6 MP): 72 fire magic damage, GT
Kasizzle (10 MP): 120 fire magic damage, GT
Bang (5 MP): 50 explosive magic damage, MT
Boom (8 MP): 120 explosive magic damage, MT
Kaboom (15 MP): 140 explosive magic damage, MT
Magic Burst (All MP): MPx2 fire magic damage, MT (546 at full MP, or 746 with a staff)
Snooze (3 MP): ~67% chance of inflicting Sleep
Insulatle (3 MP): Reduces fire and ice damage by 50%
Oomph (6 MP): Doubles attack power, but disables critical hits
Accelerate (3 MP): Doubles agility, MT
Bounce (4 MP): Reflects all spells sent towards the caster except the caster's own
Magic Barrier (3 MP): Lowers spell damage and status effect accuracy by 50%
Sap (2 MP): Lowers defense by 50%
Kasap (4 MP): Lowers defense by 25%, GT
Agility +10: Raises agility by 10 when no weapon is equipped
Stone Throw (0 MP): 14 magic damage, GT
Critical Hit Up: Raises critical hit rate with no weapon equipped from nearly never to somewhat more common but still rare
Harvest Moon (6 MP): 18 physical damage against one target, 0-1 physical damage against 2 targets, MT
Evasion Up: Raises evasion when equipped with no weapon from nearly never to somewhat more common but still rare
Thin Air (2 MP): 88 wind magic damage, MT
Attack +35: Attack stat rises by 35 when using no weapon
Whiplash (4 MP): 60 physical damage; inflicts paralysis ~40%, GT
Attack +10: Attack stat rises by 10 when using a whip
Twin Dragon Lash (3 MP): 273 physical damage divided over 2 hits, GT, focuses on a single target
Caduceus (0 MP): Heals ~85 HP
MP Recovery: Regens ~7 MP each round when using a staff
Max MP +100: Max MP raises by 100 when using a staff
AngeloLvl 40
HP: 365
MP: 189
Strength: 118
Agility: 117
Resilence: 58
Wisdom: 234
Attack: 243/228
Defense: 246
Innate ~25% reduction to ice
66 Swords, 65 Staves, 11 Bows, 7 Charisma
Equipment:
Odin's Bow/Shamshir of Light
Phantom Mask
Mirror Shield
Mirror Armour
Templar's Ring
Attack: 75 physical damage (67 physical damage)
Heal (2 MP): Heals ~35 HP
Midheal (3 MP): Heals ~85 HP
Fullheal (6 MP): Full healing
Multiheal (10 MP): Heals ~115 HP, MT
Oomph (6 MP): Doubles attack power, but disables critical hits
Buff (2 MP): Raises defense by 50%
Kabuff (3 MP): Raises defense by 25%, MT
Bounce (4 MP): Reflects all spells sent towards the caster except the caster's own
Zing (8 MP): 50% chance of reviving a target to 50% max HP.
Kazing (15 MP): Full revival
Squelch (2 MP): Cures poison status
Tingle (2 MP): Cures sleep and paralyze status
Whoosh (2 MP): 32 wind magic damage, GT
Swoosh (4 MP): 80 wind magic damage, GT
Kaswoosh (8 MP): 140 wind magic damage, GT
Drain Magic (0 MP): Drains 15 MP from a target
Dazzle (5 MP): ~80% chance of inflicting Blind, GT
Fizzle (3 MP): ~40% chance of inflicting Silence, GT
Fuddle (5 MP): ~60% chance of inflicting Confusion, GT
Kafuddle (10 MP): ~50% chance of inflicting Confusion, MT
Whack (4 MP): ~30% chance of inflicting Instant Death
Thwack (7 MP): ~40% chance of inflicting Instant Death, GT
Kathwack (15 MP): ~50% chance of inflicting Instant Death, MT
Flame Slash (0 MP): 67 fire physical damage
Metal Slash (0 MP): 67 physical damage; versus Metal enemies, deals 1-2 damage
Falcon Slash (0 MP): 101 physical damage
Critical Hit Up: Raises critical hit rate with swords from nearly never to somewhat more common but still rare
Miracle Slash (4 MP): 96 physical damage, heals 48 HP
Sandman's Arrow (2 MP): 75 physical damage; inflicts sleep ~40%
Caduceus (0 MP): Heals ~85 HP
AveragesHP: 3831) Yangus - 438
2) Moses - 408
3) Angelo - 365
4) Jessica - 322
Defense: 247 1) Yangus - 256 (4% [2] less damage taken on average from physicals)
2) Jessica - 250 (2% [1] less damage taken on average from physicals)
3) Angelo - 246 (Average)
4) Moses - 236 (5% [3] more damage taken on average from physicals)
Agility: 1091) Jessica - 136
2) Angelo - 117
3) Moses - 100
4) Yangus - 82
Damage: 2351) Moses - 413 (Dragon Soul)
2) Jessica - 273 (Twin Dragon Lash)
3) Angelo - 140 (Kaswoosh)
4) Yangus - 114 (Parallax)
Average without Dragon Soul, using Gigagash (254 damage): 195Average without Dragon Soul, using Gigaslash (176 damage): 176Average without Dragon Soul, no Gigslash or Gigaslash due to skill point conundrums (Moses using Kazap for 120 damage): 162Three-turn average, no Dragon Soul/Gigagash (no weapon switching): 217 (kill point: 543)Three-turn average, no Dragon Soul/Gigagash (with weapon switching): 228 (kill point: 570)(For both three-turn damage averages, it's actually possible for Jessica to do higher damage with tension x2 -> Magic Burst, but this was ignored because it backloads her damage in a way she can't afford in most matches.)