Death (Final Fantasy V)

For the status effect, see Death (Final Fantasy V status)

Causes death.

Description

Death, also known as Doom, is a Black Magic spell in Final Fantasy V. It attempts to inflict Instant Death on one target, with an 80% hit rate. As a level 6 Black Magic spell, it can only be used by the Black Magic skillset. Death is one of the spells that can be cast for free by Wonder Wand.

Death is also an enemy ability that can be used by Alchymia, Aquathorn, Carbuncle, Black Warlock, Exdeath's Soul, Fury, Necrophobe, and Archeodemon.

Obtained[]

Death can be purchased for 10000 gil at Phantom Village.

The player can also use Death by catching and releasing Mani Wizard, Aquathorn, or Tonberry. This is available much sooner than the spell Death used via Black Magic—as soon as the party gains the Beastmaster job from the Fire Crystal and is able to get to Wind Shrine after; Mani Wizard is found in Wind Shrine in Bartz's world, and Aquathorn is found in Galuf's world on the Bal continent.

Mechanics[]

Death can even kill Heavy targets, as long as they lack immunity to Death.

SpellHit\%=80+Attacker~Level-Target~Level

Evade\% = Target~Magic~Evade\%

If the target has shell, the Spell Hit% is halved. If the target is a toad, its Evade % is reduced to 0.

The game generates two random numbers between 0 and 99.

If N1 >= Hit%, the spell misses

If N2 < Evade%, the spell misses

Death fully heals undead targets. It can be reflected.

Use[]

Death has a good chance to instantly kill a single target, but has a hefty MP cost. Against most normal enemies, and Heavy enemies not immune, it is a good way to instantly kill a target. This can be useful in battles where the party is low and needs to quickly deal with an enemy; in most other cases, it is less MP-efficient than simply using a spell to damage all enemies and possibly end the battle quicker.

One alternative is the Blue Magic spell Level 5 Death, which instantly kills all enemies whose levels are divisible by 5. Unlike Death, it bypasses immunity. Other alternatives are the Black Magic spell Break, which has a lower MP cost but slightly lower hit rate (though it can be used with Spellblade), and Banish, which has a notably lower hit rate than Death, but works the opposite way: bypasses Death immunity and works on the undead, but fails on Heavy targets.

Susceptible enemies

As Death is obtained late into the game in a normal playthrough, it can only be used against enemies possible to encounter in the "exploration phase" for completing sidequests in the merged world, in the final dungeon, and in the Sealed Temple bonus dungeon in the versions that have it.

Ramuh (boss)

Gargoyle (boss)

Barrier (boss)

By using the Beastmaster to catch and release Mani Wizard (Bartz's world) or Aquathorn (Galuf's world), the player can also use Death on these enemies:

Tunneller
(world map)

Birostris

Fairy Orc

Devourer

Kuza Beast
(Sealed Castle)

Ziggurat Gigas
(Barrier Tower)

Adamantite Golem
(Castle Exdeath)

Bandercoeurl
(Castle Exdeath)

Iron Fist

Yellow Dragon

Sleepy

Ice Commander (boss)

Ifrit (boss)

Cray Claw (boss)

Adamantoise (boss)

Purobolos (boss)^{[note 1]}

Chimera Brain (boss)

Abductor (boss)

Gilgamesh (boss)
(first battle and Xezat's Ship)

Dragon Pod (boss)

Dragon Flower (boss)

Enkidu (boss)

Crystal (boss)

Though the player could release a Death-using enemy with a Beastmaster onto a Reflect Knight or Reflect Mage who are vulnerable to death, they have innate reflect, meaning the spell will bounce back onto the player's own party.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

↑ Killing a Purobolos with Death is pointless, because all Puroboloses need to be defeated simultaneoysly to win the battle.

[1] Killing a Purobolos with Death is pointless, because all Puroboloses need to be defeated simultaneoysly to win the battle.

[note 1]