Okay, continuing on. For this entry to make any sense, you probably need to have read last entry. For those of you too lazy to catch up, here's what I'm talking about in a few key words: Final Fantasy 5 Super Nintendo RPG character class changes. Oh, I can see the search strings now.

So I was thinking about how my most useful characters evolved. Like how each one's combination of jobs makes them awesome; the order in which I did things that made this character useful throughout their development.

Like Cara. After having played more today, I've realized that Cara may easily be my strongest character by the time I get to ExDeath. It's really weird, because like I said, I was using her mainly as a pinch-hitter for most of the game. One of the reasons her prospects look so good now is because she did a little bit of a lot of things in the beginning; and now that gaining abilities is a lot faster, having done some work in the job makes it easier for her to go on and master it, if only psychologically. And somehow, she seems to learn faster. If only because she's the kid in the game :).

So, certain combinations of jobs are complimentary, like with Lenna's WhiteMage/Summoner and Cara's BlackMage/Hunter. Now, it makes metaphysical sense, doth it not, that the WhiteMage, possessor of passive healing magic, can call helpful beings to it, while the BlackMage, attack magic, is in the position of Hunter, aggressor? And for their physical trades, Lenna's is passive (Monk) while Cara's is aggressive (Knight).

Now. Though I accused him of being lame, Butz is playing a proper role, too. So. I started him out as the thief, having him earn important auxiliary capabilities like Dash and Passages. And then and then and then, from the Thief he became the Samurai, the class with the GP Toss skill (GP is gold points, money). Again, would it not make metaphysical sense that the guy who starts out as Thief becomes the character who handles the money? (When I talk about things making metaphysical sense, I mean that it makes sense outside of the game, according to the rules of our world.) As the party grows more powerful and moves forth in their quest, his profession changes from criminal to legitimate--Samurai are rich, landed gentry. (Now in FF3 (6 in Japan), the character with the GP Toss ability was Setzer, the gambler. Also rich, provided the airship. Will talk about this later.) Now not only is Butz the money man, he is the figurehead. I have him positioned as the lead of the party--it's his sprite that walks around and talks to people in the towns. Earlier I said that probably his most important function in battle is to draw hits away from the other players. In our world, isn't that true? The rich, high-profile member is the one that takes the brunt of attacks. Butz is our politician. Funny when you consider that the GP Toss technique throws money at your enemies; it's expensive, but it makes groups of powerful enemies go away fast. If that isn't bribery, what is?

More later. I swear I'm onto something.

8:25 p.m. 2003-12-22�