Part 141: Let's Learn Jobs: Arcanist
Let's Learn Jobs: Arcanist
At first glance, Arcanist looks like it should be the successor to Black Mage, but it's better summed up as Black Mage Supplement. Arcanists provide solid magic-oriented buffs and specialize in attacks targeting the entire battlefield, both enemies and allies.
Arcanist doesn't have any direct ancestral job. They fit the role of FF3's Magus somewhat due to their buffs to black magic. The use of battlefield-wide abilities could also be compared to Geomancers or Tactic's Calculators, both of which have attacks which vary or trigger depending on extra factors.
The men's hat is the job icon. The skull represents the job command because of its popular use in black magic and hell, you're going to be ending some video game lives in a horrific fashion if you play this job, so you'd better own it.
The upside is that you inherit Victoria's spell-casting talent. The downside is that you inherit the physical capabilities of Victoria. Arcanists have the highest intellect and one of the largest MP pools. They're also not shabby with white magic, if for some reason you want to combine the two. Just don't be surprised when smacking things with a rod hits for one damage.
Blue are support abilities, red are skill abilities.
Level 1 - Corpse: Inflict Doom on target, 75% chance. (4 MP)
Level 2 - Black Magic Amp:costs 50% more MP and deals 25% more damage. (Cost: 1)
Level 3 - Exterminate: Poisoned allies and enemies take dark damage. (4 MP)
Level 4 - Absorb M. Damage: Allows other jobs to equip the Arcanist specialty. (Cost: 1)
Level 5 - Twilight: Sleeping allies and enemies are instantly killed. (9 MP)
Level 6 - Save BM MP: Black magic MP costs reduced by 25%. (Cost: 2)
Level 7 - Sacrifice: Sacrifice 25% of max HP to increase M. Atk by 50% for three turns.
Level 8 - Zero: Magic damage raised 50% when last digit of current MP is zero. (Cost: 1)
Level 9 - Convergence: Group-only magic damage increases 50% but is now single-target. (Cost: 3)
Level 10 - Annihilation: Allies and enemies with negative BP take dark damage. Damage increases with less BP. (4 MP)
Level 11 - Status Ailment Amp: Chance of inflicting status ailment increases. (Cost: 1)
Level 12 - Iniquity: Allies and enemies with positive BP take dark damage. Damage increases with more BP. (4 MP)
Level 13 - Max Black Magic: Black magic MP costs doubled but damage increased by 150%. (Cost: 3)
Level 14 - Interment: Deals heavy dark damage to all enemies. (25% of max MP)
Note that a couple of Arcanist's abilities require status effects to trigger (as in Victoria's Poison -> lethal damage combo). Since the job doesn't have a way to apply those status effects itself, Arcanists rely on other jobs such as Black Mage to make full use of their potential.
Recovers HP equal to 25% of magic damage taken. Might be situationally useful, but most party strategies would focus on other, more efficient methods of damage mitigation.
These outfits have a striking black/white/red color palette and are very...unique. The style evokes a mythical fox-like creature, with long 'ears' formed by either conical hats with twin poms (for men) or twin ponytails (for women), combined with tails attached to the back of the outfit. The front of the men's full-body suit has what appears to be a stylized picture of a lotus - a symbol of purity born from dirty roots. The women wear mini-dresses with diaper-like bottoms, which perfectly capture the disturbing memory of Victoria somehow winning that most beautiful woman competition. What the hell game.
A better view of the tail:
