Flute with Lamia's power dwelling inside.
Description
Lamia's Flute is a weapon for Eiko in Final Fantasy IX, being the second flute. It teaches her the white magic spells Float, which allows targets to avoid ground-based attacks; Stona, which heals Petrify and Gradual Petrify; and Silence, which attempts to disable a target's magic-use.
Obtain[]
Lamia's Flute is found inside the Iifa Tree, in the third inner roots area 
. It is also bought from the Mist Continent weapon shops after the party returns from the Outer Continent for 3800 gil. It is also sold in the Mogshop in Ipsen's Castle.
Mechanics[]
Lamia's Flute's damage dealt with a normal Attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
- Base = 21 - Enemy's Defense
- Bonus = Strength + Rnd MOD ([(Level + Strength) / 8] + 1)
- Damage = Base * Bonus
Where Rnd means a random number, while MOD means modulus operation. "Rnd MOD x" can be read as a random number between 0 and x-1.
The damage is then modified by variables like Eiko's row position and the enemy's Protect. Under Mini, her Bonus would be 1. If Eiko equips Healer, damage is converted to healing.
When in Ipsen's Castle, the stronger weapons do less damage than weaker weapons, and the Base part of the damage formula is altered to:
- Base = 39 - Enemy's Defense
Use[]
Lamia's Flute is Eiko's strongest weapon when found within the Iifa Tree, unless the player managed to steal the coveted Fairy Flute from the boss of Conde Petie Mountain Path. Fairy Flute only has a 1/256 chance of being successfully stolen, and the player cannot have Master Thief yet that would make it more manageable. If the player got the Fairy Flute, they do not necessarily need the Lamia's Flute at all as its spells are nothing special. Even if the player did not get the Fairy Flute yet, Eiko will do more damage with rackets if she is in the back row, as she is by default, if the player is even using her Attack command at all. If the player did not get the Fairy Flute, then Lamia's Flute will be Eiko's strongest weapon for the Iifa Tree portions up until the party returns to the Mist Continent and they can buy the Magic Racket from Lindblum.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
Most of Eiko's flutes are named after a magical being of some sort. In Greek mythology, Lamia was a beautiful Libyan queen who turned into a child-eating demon. She is often referred to as having the lower half of a snake and sometimes a large mouth (lamia in Greek means "large shark", while laimos means gullet).
Later characteristics attributed to her are similar to that of succubi, in that the lamia seduces men, enticing them to feed on their blood. It is said they reside in towers or secluded areas and have magical abilities.