Eidolon (Final Fantasy IX)

Eidolons (/eɪˈðoʊ lən/ or /eɪˈdoʊ lən/) are the summoned monsters in Final Fantasy IX whom the members of the summoner tribe of Madain Sari can call forth. As the civilization's sole survivors, Princess Garnet and Eiko Carol can summon eidolons, though Queen Brahne and Kuja also attain the power through artificial methods. According to the Final Fantasy IX Ultimania, eidolons are born from Gaia's Crystal, converted from the accumulation of memories within, to serve as powerful guardians for the Crystal.

There are at least fourteen eidolons. Alexander cannot be controlled by the player, and is summoned during a cutscene, and Titan is not summoned directly, but appears as part of one of Fenrir's attacks. In addition the optional superboss Ozma may be an ancient eidolon that has lost its form, as it is found in an "eidolon cave". Of the remaining twelve, eight can be summoned by Dagger and the other four by Eiko. The eidolons are summoned to battle via the Summon command for exchange of MP.

Nature
Eidolons are powerful creatures born of the collective memories accumulated inside the planet's Crystal. The flow of souls in Final Fantasy IX is similar to the idea of Lifestream in Final Fantasy VII, and when the souls of the deceased return to the Crystal in the planet's core, they bring with them the memories and experiences of the life that was lived allowing the Crystal to grow and the planet will develop.

Eidolons are born out of the legends and mythologies numerous peoples have told since the beginning of time. The conjoined memories of said legends enter the Crystal as part of the peoples' heritage, and manifest into magical creatures, whom the Crystal creates as its protectors. An eidolon's appearance depends on the time period it appears in: the old legends on the eidolon Shiva tell of it as a tiny pixie, whereas the Shiva summoned by Dagger is a grown woman.

The phenomenon can also be seen in the case of Ozma; found in an "eidolon cave," it can be speculated Ozma could be an ancient eidolon that has no proper form and manifests as a swirling ball of pure energy. Since mythology is what gives form to eidolons, it may be that the legends of Ozma have been forgotten, and thus Ozma has lost its form.

The eidolons' nature as the Crystal's protectors is backed up by Terra's lack of eidolons, due to its weak Crystal.

Eidolons that summoners fail to harness are locked away, as seen in the case of Leviathan.

Eidolon and its summoner
Eiko explains the summoner can communicate with his or her eidolon through the summoner's horn when she breaks the spell that protects the Iifa Tree from intruders. During the scene Dagger thinks she can't hear anything, despite Eiko claiming she can hear the eidolon asking her to hurry it up. It might mean that Dagger, having lost her summoner's horn, cannot communicate with eidolons the way Eiko can.

It is also possible the summoner tribe isn't the only people who can call forth eidolons. Though little is known of the Mole People who used to inhabit Mount Gulug, the circumstances around their sealed village and their disappearance, as well as their village remains containing an extraction circle, point toward the Mole People having been able to summon eidolons. This is backed by a an excerpt found on the Eidolon Wall in Madain Sari.

By the time the party visits it Mount Gulug has been sealed off, but Kuja wanted to break the seal as he is looking for an eidolon greater than Alexander. He has already exhausted Mist and Outer Continents, and sets his eyes on Mount Gulug. Inside they find the remains of the Mole People's civilization and an extraction circle used to extract eidolons from a summoner. It is possible the Mole People faced the same fate as the summoner tribe in Madain Sari: destroyed by Garland in fears of the eidolons' power meddling with his plans.

Extraction
The eidolon extraction is a process in which the eidolons are forcefully extracted from a subject into gemstones. Even a person who wasn't originally a summoner can summon the extracted eidolons by the use of the gem. Zorn and Thorn attempt the extracting ceremony twice: first from Dagger, so that Queen Brahne can make use of her daughter's eidolons to take over the nations of Cleyra and Lindblum, and later they attempt to steal Eiko's eidolons for Kuja.

Dagger is captured and imprisoned by Zorn and Thorn when she returns to Alexandria to reason with her mother about her recent attack on Burmecia. After Dagger loses her eidolons she must reclaim them to use them in battle. The first eidolon she acquires is Ramuh, whom she encounters at Pinnacle Rocks.

Later, Kuja intends to extract Eiko's eidolons at Mount Gulug, despite Eiko being considered too young to survive the extraction process, as Kuja says he needs an eidolon more powerful than Alexander. They fail to extract Eiko's eidolons and Zorn and Thorn state the ceremony can only work when the subject is sixteen years or older without the summoner dying. The extraction is halted by Mog who attacks the twins going into a Trance, and tells Eiko to summon Terra Homing. Mog is the eidolon Madeen who became Mog to protect Eiko.

Alexander


Alexander is the most powerful eidolon that appears as Alexandria's guardian. Five hundred years ago its crystal was divided in four fragments to ensure it would never be summoned again, due to being deemed too dangerous. One fragment was given to each of the kingdoms on Mist Continent, and the summoner tribe kept the last piece as they moved away to Madain Sari.

Queen Brahne hunts for the crystal fragments and the pieces come together atop Alexandria Castle during the time Kuja attacks the city with Bahamut. Eiko and Dagger join their powers and summon Alexander, which destroys Bahamut, but is in turn destroyed by Garland's airship, the Invincible.

Ozma


The superboss Ozma is found within an "eidolon cave", and thus it can be speculated that Ozma, much like Leviathan, was an eidolon whose power the summoners couldn't harness, and it was locked away. Over the many years the legends that gave birth to Ozma would have vanished, and the people who used to tell them would be extinct, with the result that Ozma loses whatever form it may once have had, and only appears to the party as a swirling mass of energy.

Summonable eidolons
The first time a summon is called the full animation plays. After that, there is a 33% or 10% chance to get the full animation again based on the following:


 * If MP < (Summon MP Cost * 2), the chance of full animation is:
 * Rnd MOD 256 >= 170, use full animation


 * Otherwise, the chance of full animation is:
 * Rnd MOD 256 >= 230, use full animation

If the support ability Boost is equipped there is a 100% chance of getting the full animation. MP in these calculations refers to the MP before the cost is subtracted. The value used for Summon MP Cost is unaffected by Half MP.

Dagger's summons
The attacks and spell power for Dagger's summons are straight-forward: they are based on item stock and length of animation, the short version being weaker than the full length animation (FLA). When Dagger summons an eidolon during her Trance there is a random chance the summon will reappear during the battle for zero MP cost, but the animation will always be the short version, and item stock "bonuses" will be disregarded. The summon will reappear in intervals to repeatedly damage the enemy until a new eidolon is summoned or until Dagger exits Trance. If Dagger dies or is ejected from battle (like with the attack Snort), the attack will stop as well.

The formula used to determine the amount of damage an eidolon does during its full animation is as follows:
 * $$Base = Summon Power - Target's Magic Defense$$
 * $$Bonus = Mag ... [(Lv + Mag) / 8] + Mag$$
 * $$Damage = Base * Bonus$$

If the eidolon is summoned and does its half animation, the formula changes to as follows:
 * $$Damage = [((Base * Bonus) * 2) / 3]$$

The ability Boost makes the summon always the full animation one, but it costs many Magic Stones and takes a long time to learn from the Pumice Piece.

At the start of the game, the MP cost for all summons is multiplied by 4. For example, Shiva will cost 96 MP instead of the later 24. This applies for all her Eidolons, even the ones Dagger does not have available at first (Ramuh, Leviathan, Ark). The reason for this may be because Dagger is scared of her power, and thus unwilling to use it. A player can grind intensively to reach enough MP to summon her Eidolons, the last opportunity to do so being Gargan Roo.

Shiva


Shiva can be learned from an Opal. Its attack, Diamond Dust, deals ice-elemental damage to all opponents. It originally costs 96 MP to summon, but later cost 24 MP.
 * Spell power (FLA) equals 36+# of Opals in stock
 * Spell power (TM) equals 34

Ifrit


Ifrit can be learned from a Topaz. Its attack, Flames of Hell, deals fire-elemental damage to opponents. It originally costs 104 MP to summon, but later cost 26 MP.
 * Spell power (FLA) equals 42+# of Topaz in stock
 * Spell power (TM) equals 37

Ramuh


Ramuh can be learned from a Peridot. Its attack, Judgment Bolt, deals lightning-elemental damage to opponents. It originally costs 88 MP to summon, but later cost 22 MP. This can only be seen via a cheating device before Dagger loses her eidolons.
 * Spell power (FLA) equals 32+# of Peridot in stock
 * Spell power (TM) equals 31

Atomos


Atomos can be learned from an Amethyst. Its attack, G-Force 199, damages an enemy equal to a certain percentage of their Max HP (total damage is capped at 9,999). It originally costs 128 MP to summon, but later costs 32 MP.

Atomos causes damage equal to a percentage based on its Attack power and will not work on bosses.


 * Full Animation:
 * Damage = [((30 + Amethyst) * Target Max HP) / 100]


 * Half Animation:
 * Damage = [[ (((30 + Amethyst) * Target Max HP) / 100] * 2) / 3]

Odin


Odin can be learned from a Dark Matter. Its attack, Zantetsuken, deals Instant Death that either kills an enemy or misses. If Dagger equips the Odin's Sword ability, Odin will deal non-elemental damage to all surviving enemies as well. When randomly summoned in Trance he does non-elemental damage, whether or not Odin's Sword is equipped. It originally costs 112 MP to summon, but later cost 28 MP.


 * The chance of Odin causing Death is equal to:
 * [Ore / 2] + Lvl + [Mag / 4] - Target Lvl

If the support ability Odin's Sword is equipped, Odin will now do non-elemental damage if he fails to kill. The strength of this ability is 145 - Ore.

Dagger learns Odin's Sword from Ancient Aroma, which can be found from Ipsen's Castle.

Leviathan


Leviathan can be learned from an Aquamarine. Its attack, Tsunami, deals water-elemental damage to opponents. It originally costs 168 MP to summon, but later cost 42 MP. This can only be seen via a cheating device before Garnet loses all her eidolons.
 * Spell power (FLA) equals 59+# of Aquamarine in stock
 * Spell power (TM) equals 63

Bahamut


Bahamut can be learned from a Garnet. Its attack, Mega Flare, deals non-elemental damage to opponents. It originally costs 224 MP to summon, but later cost 56 MP.
 * Spell power (FLA) equals 88+# of Garnet in stock
 * Spell power (TM) equals 77

Ark


Ark can be learned from a Pumice. Its attack, Eternal Darkness, deals shadow-elemental damage to opponents. It originally costs 320 MP to summon, but later cost 80 MP. This can only be seen via a cheating device before Garnet loses all her eidolons.
 * Spell power (FLA) equals 106+# of Lapis Lazuli in stock
 * Spell power (TM) equals 87

Eiko's summons
Eiko's summons, while fewer in number than Dagger's, are a little more complex, as the attacks/effects of her summons change according to different variables, such as the equipped add-on.

Fenrir


Fenrir can be learned from a Sapphire. Its attack is add-on dependent. Its base attack is Terrestrial Rage and does earth-elemental damage by summoning Titan. If Eiko equips the Maiden Prayer, Fenrir attacks with Millennial Decay, dealing wind-elemental damage. It costs 30 MP to summon.
 * Spell power for Terrestrial Rage equals 42+# of Sapphires in stock
 * Spell power for Millennial Decay equals 44+# of Sapphires in stock

Phoenix


Phoenix can be learned from a Phoenix Pinion. Its attack, Rebirth Flame, is animation length and chance dependent, and deals light to moderate Fire damage to enemies while reviving KO'd allies. If entire party is KO'd, there's a slight chance of auto-summoning that revives the party, but does no damage to enemies. It costs 32 MP to summon, apart from when it is automatically summoned to prevent Game Over, when it costs no MP at all. Phoenix revives the party with double the HP if the Concentrate ability is equipped.

Phoenix revives KO'd party members and restores their HP equal to:
 * [((Target Spr + 30) * Target Max HP) / 100]
 * HP restored is doubled if Concentrate is equipped.

If Eiko is in the party there is a chance Phoenix will automatically revive the party if they are all KO'd. The chance of this happening is equal to:
 * [(# of Phoenix Pinions / 256) * 100]

This automatic Rebirth Flame has a different animation than normal. It deals no damage to the enemy and uses no MP.

Carbuncle


Carbuncle can be learned from a Ruby. Its attack is add-on and animation length dependent. Unlike other summons, it does no damage to the enemy, it only casts helpful status effects on the party. The difference between short animation (SA) and full length animation (FLA) is that if the FLA is played, Protect will be cast in addition to the normal status effect. It costs 24 MP to summon.
 * Normal summon "attack" is called Ruby Light and casts Reflect on the party.
 * If Eiko equips Diamond, "attack" is called Diamond Light and casts Vanish on the party.
 * If Eiko equips Emerald, "attack" is called Emerald Light and casts Haste on the party.
 * If Eiko equips Moonstone, "attack" is called Pearl Light and casts Shell on the party.

Madeen


Madeen can be learned from the Ribbon. Its attack, Terra Homing, does holy-elemental damage. It costs 54 MP to summon.
 * Spell power equals 71 + Eiko's level

Development
The use of eidolons in Final Fantasy IX relates to an older Final Fantasy tradition in vein of the theme of the game, with the use of summoning being linked to a character class.

Leviathan is mentioned in an old memo written by Hironobu Sakaguchi for the development of Final Fantasy IX. Upon their first meeting, Princess Garnet would have rushed past Zidane and "a thief" (Marcus in the final game) and while the thief would have focused on Garnet's chest being slightly revealed in her formal dress, Zidane would take notice of the pendant she was wearing: "No, no, she was wearing the pendant of the summons permitted by only royalty. Deep blue stone... 'The Legend of Leviathan', was it Princess Garnet?" This could refer to Garnet's royal pendant being the summoning jewel for Leviathan in the early story drafts. In the final game, Garnet is unaware the pendant is a fragment of Alexander's summoning jewel, although wearing the pendant is still a sign of royalty.

Final Fantasy Legends: Toki no Suishō
The eidolons Alexander and Ark from Final Fantasy IX appear as summons.

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
Some of the eidolons appear.

Ability Cards=

Pictlogica Final Fantasy
Some of the eidolons from Final Fantasy IX appear.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper
Some eidolons appear in Final Fantasy Record Keeper.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
The eidolons appear on cards with their artworks. Their elements correspond with those from the original game. Odin and Carbuncle are non-elemental in the game but Lightning and Earth-elemental in the trading card game.

Triple Triad
Leviathan, Odin, Fenrir, Carbuncle, and Ark appear on Triple Triad cards in the version available via Final Fantasy Portal App.

Etymology
The word "idol" being related to "Eidolon" may have relevance in Final Fantasy IX, as Eidolons are summoned by the summoners of Madain Sari.