Spellblade (Final Fantasy V)

Enchant weapons with different magics.

Description

Spellblade, also known as MagSwd and Sword, is an offensive ability of the Mystic Knight job class from Final Fantasy V. It involves imbuing compatible equipped weapons with various properties until the end of the battle, or until a different spellblade overrides them.

Obtained[]

!Spellblade is equipped on Mystic Knights by default. After leveling up the Mystic Knight job, a character can have the !Spellblade ability equipped on any other job and use any spellblades whose associated level has been attained by the Mystic Knight. Therefore, to be able to use all spellblades as a non-Mystic Knight, a character must level their Mystic Knight job up to level 7. This is the case, because the Mystic Knight learns !Spellblade from level 2 onwards. Spellblade is the primary ability for Mystic Knights, who can use all spellblades without the need to attain a spellblade's associated level first.

The !Spellblade ability requires 20 AP for level 1, 30 for level 2, 50 for level 3, 70 for level 4, 100 for level 5 400 for level 6.

Availability[]

All spellblades are closely associated with a subset of White and Black spells, and become available as soon as the corresponding spells have been obtained.

Mechanics[]

Spellblade from FFV Advance — A Spellblade being cast (*Advance*).

!Spellblade mechanics include weapon compatibility, elemental nature, status-adding nature, miscellaneous properties, and stat adjustments.

Weapon compatibility[]

!Spellblade is compatible with knives, swords, knight swords, and short swords. When used with other kinds of weapons, nothing happens. When used while dual-wielding a compatible weapon and an incompatible one, its effects are limited to the compatible weapon.

Elemental nature[]

Spellblades can be either elemental or non-elemental. Upon use, all native elemental properties of compatible weapons and all elemental properties of a potential previously active spellblade are removed and overridden by the new spellblade's elemental properties. In particular, non-elemental spellblades make subsequent physical attacks and commands non-elemental.

When using physical attacks and commands post-activation of an elemental spellblade, the normal rules of elemental interactions apply for targets that absorb, nullify, or resist the element.

For targets weak to the element, the behavior diverges:

Tier-1 elemental spellblades (Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, and Poison) deal increased damage by applying dedicated modifiers that multiply the A parameter by 2, and reduce the D parameter to 0.
Tier-2 elemental spellblades (Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara) deal increased damage by applying dedicated modifiers that multiply the A parameter by 3, and reduce the D parameter to 0.
Tier-3 elemental spellblades (Bio, Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, and Holy) deal increased damage against heavy targets by applying dedicated modifiers that multiply the A parameter by 4, and reduce the D parameter to 0.
Tier-3 elemental spellblades (Bio, Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, and Holy) unconditionally kill non-heavy targets, ignoring death immunity and potential undead nature.

Status-adding nature[]

Some spellblades (Poison, Silence, Sleep, and Break) add a status to subsequent physical attacks and commands performed with compatible weapons. In that case, they also remove and override any native added statuses of those weapons, and any added statues of potentially previously active spellblades.

When using physical attacks and commands post-activation of a status-adding spellblade, the status is always inflicted on the target, unless it is immune, or the attack/command misses. Dealing no damage is not considered missing.

Miscellaneous properties[]

Unless overridden by another spellblade, the effects of using a certain spellblade last until the end of the battle, and are unaffected by becoming incapacitated (via KO/petrify/zombie statuses).
MP are only expended upon using the !Spellblade command. Subsequent attacks do not consume MP.
HP and MP draining effects added by the Drain and Osmose spellblades are reversed if either the attacker or the target is undead.
!Spellblade modifiers stack with other modifiers, including, but not limited to, those associated with: Focus, Counter, Aim, Jump, Rapid Fire, Mug, and Sword Dance.

Strength and Magic stats adjustment[]

When a character equips the !Spellblade ability from the Mystic Knight job while using a different job, the game may adjust the character's Strength and Magic stats. This adjustments simulate a portion of the Mystic Knight's Strength and Magic stats being transferred to the new job, depending on the character's Mystic Knight job level.

The game calculates theoretical values for Strength and Magic based on the character's Mystic Knight job level:

$Strength_{candidate}=38-2\times (7-MysticKnightJobLevel)$
$Magic_{candidate}=25-2\times (7-MysticKnightJobLevel)$

Then, the final stats used are:

$Strength_{new}=\max(Strength_{candidate},Strength_{default})$
$Magic_{new}=\max(Magic_{candidate},Magic_{default})$

In particular:

$Strength_{default}$ is the Strength stat of the current job without !Spellblade.
$Strength_{candidate}$ is the boosted Strength stat, based on the Mystic Knight job level.
$Magic_{default}$ is the Magic stat of the current job without !Spellblade.
$Magic_{candidate}$ is the boosted Magic stat, based on the Mystic Knight job level.
If the character has mastered Mystic Knight (job level 7), the maximum transferable Strength and Magic values are 38 and 25 respectively.
If the Mystic Knight job level is only 2 for the character, the transferable values drop to 28 and 15 respectively.
The Strength boost only applies if the Mystic Knight-derived Strength is strictly higher than the base Strength of the current job.
The Magic boost only applies if the Mystic Knight-derived Magic is strictly higher than the base Magic of the current job.
This mechanic allows characters using low-Strength and/or low-Magic jobs to effectively use !Spellblade if they have sufficiently progressed in the Mystic Knight job.

List of Spellblades[]

Name	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy ^{[note 1]}	Reflectable ^{[note 2]}
Fire	1	2	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands fire-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking an target weak to fire with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to double the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Blizzard (Ice)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	1	2	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands ice-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking an target weak to ice with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to double the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Thunder (Bolt)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	1	2	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands lightning-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking an target weak to lightning with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to double the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Poison (Venom)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	2	1	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands poison-elemental. Adds the poison status to all subsequent physical attacks and commands. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking an target weak to poison with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to double the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Silence (Mute)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	2	1	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. Adds the silence status to all subsequent physical attacks and commands. The `action duration` parameter is `167` for status duration determination. Like all negative temporary statuses, heavy and high-level targets recover much earlier.
Sleep
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	2	1 (2) ^{[note 3]}	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. Adds the sleep status to all subsequent physical attacks and commands.
Fira (Fire2)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	3	5	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands fire-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking an target weak to fire with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to triple the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Blizzara (Ice 2)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	3	5	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands ice-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking an target weak to ice with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to triple the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Thundara (Bolt2)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	3	5	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands lightning-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking an target weak to lightning with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to triple the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Drain
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	4	6	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking a target with physical attacks and commands, absorbs the amount of damage inflicted. The HP draining effect is reversed if either the attacker or the target are undead.
Break
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	4	6 (8) ^{[note 3]}	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. Adds the petrify status to all subsequent physical attacks and commands.
Bio
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	4	6 (3) ^{[note 3]}	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands poison-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking a non-heavy target weak to poison with physical attacks and commands, the target is instantly killed. When striking a heavy target weak to poison with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to quadruple the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Firaga (Fire3)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	5	15	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands fire-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking a non-heavy target weak to fire with physical attacks and commands, the target is instantly killed. When striking a heavy target weak to fire with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to quadruple the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Blizzaga (Ice 3)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	5	15	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands ice-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking a non-heavy target weak to ice with physical attacks and commands, the target is instantly killed. When striking a heavy target weak to ice with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to quadruple the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Thundaga (Bolt3)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	5	15	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands lightning-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking a non-heavy target weak to lightning with physical attacks and commands, the target is instantly killed. When striking a heavy target weak to lightning with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to quadruple the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Holy
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	6	10	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Makes all subsequent physical attacks and commands holy-elemental. Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking a non-heavy target weak to holy with physical attacks and commands, the target is instantly killed. When striking a heavy target weak to holy with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to quadruple the `A` parameter, and reduce the `D` parameter to 0.
Flare
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	6	30	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking a target with physical attacks and commands, special modifiers are applied to increase the `A` parameter by `100`, and reduce the `D` parameter to: `D // 4`.
Osmose (Psych)
	Level	MP cost	Base accuracy	Reflectable
	6	1	Same as weapon	No
	Effect
	Removes all previous elemental properties of the equipped weapons, and any previous spellblade. When striking a target with physical attacks and commands, if non-zero damage is inflicted, the attacker absorbs an amount of MP equal to: `TargetMP // 4`. The MP draining effect is reversed if either the attacker or the target are undead.

↑ The !Spellblade command always hits. Regular hit determination applies to all subsequent physical attacks and commands. For that purpose, the weapon's base accuracy is used as normal.
↑ Neither the !Spellblade command, nor subsequent physical attacks and commands are reflectable.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 The Pixel Remaster version adjusts the Sleep, Break, and Bio spellblades' costs: they are now 2 MP, 8 MP, and 3 MP, respectively.

Other appearances[]

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade[]

Ability Cards

Legend Cards

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Gallery[]

Advance

Discontinued 2013 mobile/Steam

Etymology[]

[view · edit · purge]A spell, charm or hex is a set of words, spoken or unspoken, which are considered by its user to invoke some magical effect. Historical attestations exist for the use of some variety of incantations in many cultures around the world.

[view · edit · purge]Magic or sorcery is an attempt to understand, experience and influence the world using rituals, symbols, actions, gestures and language that are believed to exploit supernatural forces.

[1] The !Spellblade command always hits. Regular hit determination applies to all subsequent physical attacks and commands. For that purpose, the weapon's base accuracy is used as normal.

[2] Neither the !Spellblade command, nor subsequent physical attacks and commands are reflectable.

[pr-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 The Pixel Remaster version adjusts the Sleep, Break, and Bio spellblades' costs: they are now 2 MP, 8 MP, and 3 MP, respectively.

[note 1]

[note 2]

[note 3]