Laggy you whore, you're tempting me to build a uber Mediator of physical doom. *Shakes FIST* Too bad you can't two sword/hand books, that'd kick ass. Attack up works though.
Book-Mediators are tier 2 in everything.
Tier 2 damage
Tier 2 speed
Tier 2 range
Tier 3 move/jump
Tier 2 for supports (doesn't work with two hands)
Tier 2 for WP (Jump and Charge are...okay with books, but there's better)
Tier 3 for formula ((MA+PA)/2 is probably the worst formula in the game)
Hmm...well I'm not that worried about class balance for the moment, which means the next balance lens is a smaller granularity:
Squire...Accumulate 150
Hmm...my opinion of it is pretty low, although maybe I'm reacting to the fact that the only Squire setup I've seen has been magic-based. If a Squire has Punch Art secondary, for instance, this sounds valueable. Also does amusing things with Mimes.
Dash 75
Used; non-evadeable attack that can cause knockback. Not a particularly good move, mind, but something you occasionally use if it's in the skillset. On the other hand: probably comes up less than neo-Spin Fist, which is 50 JP--granted, Squire JP is practically free thanks to all the guests, whereas Monk JP has a lot of other demands.
Throw Stone 90
Range. Knock people out of charm/confusion/sleep without dealing much damage. Trigger allied Auto Potion/Sunken State. Gets stepped on a little by neo-Heal, but not too much since it is cheaper and has a lot of other effects. Seems fine.
Heal 150 -- now cures all negative status, except for stuff that isn't really status like Dead, Charging, and Treasure Chest
On paper sounds pretty sexy now. Still doesn't feel like a particularly noteworthy move.
*There isn't that much status out there.
*Revival is needed to prevent permanent loss of a character. Status curing...you use your turn to let them get turns again, but half the time you could use your turn for something else and wait for the status to wear off instead.
*It's not multitarget like Esuna/Stigma Magic.
Granted, the move is fine. Reasonable cost; unique niche.
Yell 250 -- can no longer self-target
Definitely feels like the best skill in the skillset by a good margin. Also not strictly inferior to Cheer Song--the applications we've had for it were more like "I yell+wait on the one living person with revival", which will speed them up faster than Cheer Song will (thanks to the now 12 CT).
Counter Tackle 180
Overcosted. Granted, I can totally understand Laggy not wanting to change 10 different Squire jobs.
Equip Axe 170
Solid. Generally an earlygame/midgame support, although Jump users find it useful at endgame (not aftergame, though).
... Monster Skill: 100
Honestly, we need to try parties with monsters before I can really comment.
Move +1: 300
Most common use of Squire JP. At the same time: not overpowered.
Move-Get Exp: 200
Very niche at that cost, but I don't want to push the ability too hard; if nothing else the extra animation time to show the exp gain after every movement is lame.
Gained EXP Up 350
Hmm...this may be a playstyle thing, but so far the people who really wanted to use this were:
*People who were underlevelled and trying to catch up...and couldn't afford the JP cost due to being desperately behind in JP too.
*Character who was trying to emphasize high stats (early Mime growths -> Gained EXP Up) and also couldn't afford the JP cost due to being desperately behind in JP.
On the one hand, it's a little tempting to lower the cost. On the other hand, I really want to keep away from Gained JP Up syndrome, so it's tempting to just leave it overcosted.
Chemist...Potion 30
Fine.
Hi-Potion 200
Pretty sure I've seen it learned; there's definitely a temptation to skip over the middle ability, though the fact that Hi-Potion is buyable in Chapter 1 definitely helps a lot; makes it an earlygame ability.
X-Potion 300
Fine.
Ether 100
The one thing that bothers me about it is that it's not storebought until midway through Chapter 2. That said, it's been used; hell, we got Delita/Algus to use them.
Hi-Ether 200
Not sure we've seen much of it, but haven't had a lot of dedicated Item user; looks okay on paper.
Elixir: 300
Master chemist -> useful.
... Antidote: 20
There isn't a whole lot that JP costs can do here. Even against Balk-I I'd much rather have multitarget poison healing.
Eye Drop: 10
The problem with Eye Drop is that the enemies that use it fail at evasion. If enemy Knights made you blind, that would be neat.
Echo Grass: 30
Fine, especially as you can't silence Item, and there's more enemy Oracles now.
Maiden's Kiss: 40
Sure.
Soft: 50 JP
Sure.
Holy Water: 60 JP
Given the chain reaction potential and the fact that Remedy doesn't cure it, yeah, should be the most expensive.
Remedy: 200 JP
Heal but costs more JP and money and heals fewer statuses...except in a good skillset and has range. Reasonable tradeoff.
Phoenix Down: 250 JP
Seems healthy at that level. Used less than Raise, but still used.
Auto Potion: 700 JP
Possibly still undercosted for what it does; comparable expensive reactions are 900 JP Sunken State, 700 JP Blade Grasp, 1200 JP Hamedo. I'm okay with pushing AP a little, though--it is pretty interesting; opens up strategies like "target elemental so that you hit your teammate and hopefully heal them".
Throw Item: 250 JP
Could come down more. "Stick Item on a good unit...like a Knight or Ninja" is all well and good, but as we've found there's definitely competition for supports (Two Hands, Concentrate/Martial Arts).
Maintenance: 100 JP
Solid.
Equip Change 0
JP cost is pretty irrelevant--mostly useful when combined with aftergame stuff (perfumes, Stone Gun, etc).
Move-Find Item 100
Whatever.
Knight...Defend 50
I forgot this exists, and I've been known to spend a lot of the earlygame without a support now. At the same time, the Equip: X and Weapon Guard are so much better than Defend that maybe it was the right move to skip it.
Head Break: 150 JP
Solid way of dealing damage against Knights.
Armor Break: 250 JP
Dunno why this is more expensive--the average enemy Knight wears a Crystal Helmet and a Linen Robe >_>. Better in Chapter 1 I guess.
Shield Break: 150 JP
x_x
Weapon Break: 250 JP
Yeah, 250's fine here.
Magic Break: 250 JP
Weren't we going to drop this back to 150 now that it's stuck with a 50% hit rate?
Speed Break: 250 JP
Yup, fine.
Power Break: 150 JP
Maintenance Knight/Thief vs Enemy Knights this is good.
Mind Break: 150 JP
Mind? Enemy knights don't use their minds! (Useful for uhh...learning Zodiac I guess).
Weapon Guard: 250 JP
Solid--my former complaint about WG (one person goes Knight, and then four mages learn it and keep it set for three chapters) is kinda washed away by the fact that
1. 250 is a lot more to get from spillover than 200--nearly double.
2. Half the mages use Equip Shield instead.
Equip Armor: 500 JP
Useful in exactly one setup (earlygame Monk) but yeah, the silliness of that combo merits the 500 JP.
Equip Shield: 250 JP
Respectable; the value of the ability has shifted somewhat from original FFT--more of a midgame ability, as opposed to a lategame combo engine.
Equip Sword: 250 JP
Surprisingly good in unexpected locations; often what fighters should save for (instead of Equip Shield--that's more of a mage ability).
Archer...Ignore Height: 400 JP
Bleh. None of our characters ever bothered to learn it. I'm starting to think Move+1 is overall better (for all that Ignore Height rapes 5-6 fights), and Move+1 is cheaper in a job that gets free spillover JP. Wondering if this should be 250 JP.
Charge+1 100 JP ctr->1
Fine ability; more of a lategame ability, since 1ct turn gaps don't exist in the earlygame, but rear their head eventually. Well...I guess it's noteworhty for cancelling the fast-charging spells (Haste 2, Slow 2, Reflect)
Charge+2 150 JP ctr->2
Similarly lategame, although can be relevant pretty early (speed 7 can first-turn Charge+2 on speed 6)
Charge+3 200 JP ctr->3
An earlygame darling just because it's still fast enough to pre-empt Fire/Ice/Bolt/neo-Haste.
Charge+4 250 JP ctr->4
At speed 6, move-wait, move-act lets you charge+4 on enemies who move-acted first turn. Can pre-empt Fire2/Ice2/Bolt2/Fire3/Ice3/Bolt3.
Charge+5 300 JP ctr->6
6 isn't prohibitively slow; can pre-empt summons, level 4 black magic.
Charge+7 400 JP ctr->8
Technically fast enough to hit every enemy in the game...sometimes...if you get your CT perfect.
Charge+10, 500 JP ctr->11
Fast enough to hit speed 9 enemies...which is maybe half the enemies in Chapter 4 (but misses more than half of the bosses).
Charge+20, 700 JP ctr->15
Awesome when enemies are speed 6 (though won't be able to hit them if they even get as out-of-sync as move-wait). I suspect use will be pretty rare, though; 700 JP is steep for earlygame--by the time you have that even if you spend on nothing else, you'll have maybe five fights in which you can do nasty things to...roughly half the enemies but only if they don't get hit by Haste or ever move-wait or anything like that.
Speed Save: 200 JP
Umm...more bait for Throw Stone Abuse (nevermind that Yell is in the same job)! Yeah, speed save's actually pretty interesting, but not that powerful outside of really weird setups (well...and Chantage of course). Probably good on a Knight, actually (it's not like I'm not already hitting them with splash damage and not caring).
Arrow Guard 450
A tad expensive (it's chibi blade grasp that you can reasonably get through spillover for a mage). At the same time, does need to cost more than stuff like Weapon Guard.
Equip Crossbow: 250 JP
Haven't seen it learned yet; fundamentally less exciting than Equip Sword, since the auto Two Hands/Two Swords classes don't do jack with it (to say nothing of Agrias and friehds). Geos and Monks tend to be happy with Wave Fist/Elemental for range. Lancers may not have range right away, but they still lose a lot of damage from X-bows. Squires and Archers can already equip them.
Right, what does this leave us with?
Knights (sure I guess, cool with Battle Skill too)
Pre Gun/Book Mediators (yeah, better than Knives)
Priests (well...better than Staves)
EDIT: Dancers (Sure I guess, although personally I'd boost Wiznaibus damage instead)
Other mages (Eww...2 PA)
Ehh...it's alright I guess but could probably be dropped to 150 JP-100 JP range. Equip Axe is 170, and arguably better so... >_>
Concentrate 400
Arguably the best Archer ability still; wouldn't worry about overpoweredness since there's fights with no evasion (zodiacs) moves that ignore evasion (swordskills) moves that don't get boosted by it (black magic) and it makes the game more fun (whee, no missing).
