When about to receive certain attacks from a human unit within standard attack range, strikes preemptively and prevents the attack. As this is a special counterattack, the expected outcome will not be displayed. Activated by standard attacks, Arts of War, Aim, Throw and Aimed Shot.
Description
First Strike, also known as Hamedo, is a reaction ability in Final Fantasy Tactics, learned by the monk job. It provides a chance to pre-emptively counter a physical attack against the unit with a physical attack of their own, without consuming a turn. This makes it an upgraded version of Counter, also learned by the monk job, which counters after being hit rather than before. First Strike must be learned by expending JP earned for the monk job, at which point it and other jobs can use the reaction ability.
Opponents that have First Strike include Reis Duelar in Rendezvous, exclusive to The War of the Lions version.
Obtained[]
First Strike cost 1200 JP in the original Final Fantasy Tactics, but 1300 JP in both The War of the Lions and The Ivalice Chronicles releases. Once the unit has learned it, they must equip it in their reaction ability slot.
If a unit that knows First Strike becomes a crystal, a human unit picking up the crystal may learn First Strike without spending JP, as long as said unit has unlocked the monk job.
Mechanics[]
First Strike has a chance to activate when attacked physically, assuming the attacker is in range. It can be activated by standard attacks, Arts of War attacks, Throw, or Aimed Shot. This means that monster abilities will not trigger First Strike unless they are under Toad status, but ranged strikes will if the character is equipped with a similar weapon.
First Strike will activate even when no damage is to be dealt by the attack, such as when it is to be parried or evaded. It pre-emptively responds with a normal attack identical to the Attack ability, taking into account the unit's physical stats and weapons (including both weapons if Dual Wield is in effect).
First Strike will not trigger if the unit uses a physical attack with a weapon that has a range of 2, namely polearms and poles. However, if the victim is also equipped with one of these weapons, they will retaliate the attacker.
Use[]
Much like most reaction abilities, First Strike's activation is based off the unit's bravery; the higher the stat, the higher the chances.
As First Strike does not consume a turn when activated, much like Counter, it is an effective means of improving a unit's damage output, and scales with the user's own improvement in physical damage stats. This makes units equipped with First Strike very effective against melee enemies, and because it can pre-empt attacks rather than respond to them, it gives them a chance to KO the attacker before receiving damage from them.
As with Counter, First Strike is effective not just for the monk job but when learned by others. In particular, ninjas—or units who have learned Dual Wield from ninjas—can use First Strike to respond with two attacks at once. Though First Strike does have a chance to KO an attacker first, this cannot be relied on, meaning it is still ideal to boost the user's defensive stats or even use Protect if necessary.
First Strike is an upgrade on Counter. At 1300 JP cost, it is significantly more expensive, and if a unit is only leveling the monk job for its abilities and not intending to be a monk long-term, most units will be better off simply learning Counter and not prioritizing First Strike. Later in the game, First Strike is a very effective reaction ability to learn on all units, but early on, Counter is more than sufficient.
First Strike is a powerful reaction ability throughout the game, particularly for melee attackers as a means of increasing their damage ability. However, other reaction abilities, such as Parry, Auto-Potion, Dragonheart or even the monk's Critical: Recover HP, will be more defensive and make units more likely to survive an onslaught. Ranged units and magick-based units will not benefit minimally from First Strike and should learn other reaction abilities.