Prevents equipment from being destroyed or stolen.
The Ivalice Chronicles' description
Safeguard, also known as Maintenance, is a support ability in Final Fantasy Tactics, learned by the chemist job. It makes all the equipment of the unit equipped with this ability impossible to remove, whether by stealing or destroying the equipment. The support ability must be learned by expending JP earned for the chemist, at which point it and other jobs can also use the support ability.
In The War of the Lions version, Balthier's sky pirate job has innate Safeguard.
Obtained[]
Safeguard costs 250 JP to be spent on the chemist job. Once the unit has learned it, they can equip it in their support ability slot to use it.
If a unit that knows Safeguard becomes a crystal, a human unit picking up the crystal may learn Safeguard without spending JP.
Balthier in Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions has Safeguard innately.
Mechanics[]
Safeguard makes all the equipment of the unit immune to being stolen by the thief's Steal, as well immune to being destroyed by the knight's Arts of War and the divine knight's Unyielding Blade. Attempting to do so will always result in a 0% chance of success.
Use[]
Safeguard is a niche, yet impactful support ability that provides safety to the player when facing enemy thieves, knights, and divine knights.
This support ability is particularly useful when fighting against some of the members of the Knights Templar during story-related battles, who are able to instantly destroy the unit's equipment with their Unyielding Blade with 100% chance of success, unless they have Safeguard equipped.
In The War of the Lions version, Messam Elmdore has Safeguard, and so his Genji equipment cannot be stolen like in other game versions.