In Final Fantasy V numerous weapons have abilities associated with their use. They can be classified by nature (spells vs. commands) and timing (after a physical attack or replacing a physical attack). Added abilities must not be confused with added statuses (e.g. instant death via Killer Bow) and generic magical damage inflicted by certain weapons (e.g. the Apollo's Harp).
Nature and timing[]
Added abilities can be either named spells (as opposed to generic magical damage) like Death, or commands like !Mug.
Added spells[]
Added spells do not require nor consume MP, and can be activated with a certain probability either after a physical attack (or the !Aim physical command), or instead of a physical attack. They can be reflected, provided that the regular versions of them also can. Counters are considered physical attacks for added spells purposes.
Added spells might be triggered but still fail to produce any effects when the outcome of the spell itself is subject to random chance. The prime example is the Death added spell which, even when activating, has a base 20% probability of missing a vulnerable target (before taking into account the attacker's level and the target's level and magic evasion). Visually, a short pause after the attack (or instead of the attack, depending on the nature of the added spell) signals that the added spell was indeed activated, but then nothing else happens.
Added commands[]
Added commands replace a physical attack with a certain probability, and cannot be activated when a different command is selected (e.g. it is impossible to trigger the Chicken Knife's !Flee added ability when using a command such as !Mug). The same applies when the Counter passive ability is triggered.
Unlike added spells, added commands can never be reflected, because their native counterparts cannot either.
List of added spells[]
The following is a list of weapons that possess added spells, including the actual spells, the probability of activation, and the timing. Weapons in italics are exclusive to the Advance and discontinued 2013 mobile and Steam versions.
| Weapon | Spell | Probability | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death Sickle | Death | 33% | After attack |
| Poison Axe | Poison | 67% | After attack |
| Gaia's Bell | Earthquake | 25% | Replaces attack |
| Magic Bow | Silence | 33% | Replaces attack |
| Fairy's Bow | Confuse | 12% | After attack |
| Gaia Hammer | Earthquake | 25% | Replaces attack |
| Dream Harp | Sleep | 12.5% | After attack |
| Lamia's Harp | Confuse | 18.75% | After attack |
| Wind Slash | Wind Slash | 12% | Replaces attack |
| Mage Masher | Silence | 33% | After attack |
| Assassin's Dagger | Death | 25% | After attack |
| Lilith Rod | Osmose | 25% | Replaces attack |
| Wonder Wand | See dedicated section | 100% | Replaces attack |
| Kagenui | Stop | 25% | After attack |
| Power Staff | Berserk | 100% | Replaces attack |
| Healing Staff | Cura | 100% | Replaces attack |
| Ancient Sword | Old | 33% | After attack |
| Sleep Blade | Sleep | 33% | After attack |
| Blitz Whip | Thunder | 33% | After attack |
| Fire Lash | Firaga | 33% | After attack |
Wonder Wand[]
The Wonder Wand casts spells in a specified order before the attack is executed, starting from Cure up to Osmose, and then loops back to Cure. It can be used even when muted.
The order Wonder Wand casts spells is as follows: Cure, Poisona, Silence, Protect, Mini, Cura, Raise, Confuse, Blink, Shell, Esuna, Curaga, Reflect, Berserk, Arise, Holy, Dispel, Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Poison, Sleep, Toad, Fira, Blizzara, Thundara, Drain, Break, Bio, Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, Flare, Death, and finally, Osmose.
As the spell is cast from the weapon rather than the wielder, the user does not need to have learned or bought any of the spells for the Wonder Wand to work.
List of added commands[]
The following is a list of weapons that possess added commands, including the actual command, and the probability of activation.
| Weapon | Command | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Hayate Bow | !Rapid Fire | 25% |
| Dancing Dagger | !Dance | 50% |
| Thief Knife | !Mug | 50% |
| Chicken Knife | !Flee | 25% |
Special cases[]
The Twin Lance's second hit can be considered an added ability with a 100% probability of activation (akin to Added Cut in Final Fantasy VII), because it exhibits properties shared with other added commands (e.g. negating the activation of another added command such as !Flee via Chicken Knife).