Inflicts poison on the target.
Description
Poison is an Attack spell in Final Fantasy VI. It is the basic 
Poison-elemental spell that deals decent poison-elemental damage and inflicts the 
Poison status on target. Though a strong spell for its small MP cost, it has a lower hit rate than comparable damaging spells. Poison is learned by party members through magicite.
Poison is also an enemy ability used by Hidon, Kefka (first battle), Level 50 Magic, Level 80 Magic, Magic, Tentacle, and Tunnel Armor.
Poison is an added ability to the Poison Rod and Venom Claws.
Obtained[]
Party members can learn Poison from magicite. It is taught by Ramuh at a x5 rate.
Mechanics[]
As a spell with a power of 25, it deals initial damage with the following formula:
where "Level" refers to the user's level, and Magic refers to the user's Magic stat. The target's Magic Defense and shell play a role in mitigating damage, and the spell can potentially be blocked by Magic Evasion.
Several relics augment Poison's initial damage (along with other spells). If the caster is equipped with an Earring or a Hero Ring, the damage is multiplied by 5/4 (or a 25% increase). If the caster is equipped with two Earrings, two Hero Rings, or one of each, the damage is multiplied by 3/2 (a 50% increase). If the caster equips Gold Hairpin or Celestriad, its MP cost is halved or reduced to 1, respectively.
Because the spell deals poison-elemental damage, the enemy's elemental affinity affects its damage output. If poison is nullified, or the target is immune to poison, the spell will deal 0 damage. If the target absorbs the element, it will heal HP instead of dealing damage. If the target resists the element, it will deal half damage; conversely, if the target is weak to the element, its damage will be doubled.
The spell also inflicts the poison status to enemies not immune, which periodically deals poison-elemental damage to the target over time.
Use[]
Poison is a basic offensive spell. Though its damage is slightly higher than comparable spells (Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder) with the added benefit of dealing damage over time, its low hit rate means that many times it will waste turns. Poison is best used against enemies weak to the poison element, and especially ones also vulnerable to the status, as both the initial damage and the status will deal double damage.
As an Attack spell, the player should prioritize teaching Poison to party members with a high natural Magic stat and access to mage equipment. This includes Terra (who can double its damage with Trance, Celes, Relm, and Strago; Mog and Shadow have high Magic stats, while Gogo has access to mage equipment. Though Sabin is best built toward magic damage, his access to Aura Cannon and the Venom Claws makes him less of a priority than others. As an easy spell to learn, all party members should eventually be taught the spell.
Poison is outclassed by Bio in terms of damage output and turn-efficiency. Though Bio has a higher MP cost and should be used sparingly, its slightly higher hit rate means it is safer to use than Poison, and it can be used more often if the caster has the Gold Hairpin or Celestriad.
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