Part 130: Let's Learn Jobs: Time Mage
Let's Learn Jobs: Time Mage
This time, we're looking at Time. Mage. These users of time magic focus on utility, and can be a game changer/breaker once their full range of spells and abilities are unlocked.
Time Mages first appeared in Final Fantasy 5, and have appeared intermittently in games since. When unavailable, their trademark spells such as Haste and Stop will usually be split between Black Mage and White Mage.
Job icon is a gear, representing the inner workings of a clock if the holder of this asterisk was anything to go by. Job Command icon is a crescent moon, possibly referencing astronomy's role in some of the first and most basic methods of timekeeping.
If you want to bonk things on the head with your staff for ineffectual damage, look no further. Abysmal strength, vitality, and dexterity are balanced by high intellect, mind, and MP. Time Mage is a caster capable of doing both decent healing and magical damage when necessary.
Blue are support abilities, red are skill abilities.
Level 1 - Time Magic Lv.1: Quake, Regen, Slow
Level 2 - Magic Attack 10% Up (Cost: 1)
Level 3 - Slow Parry: When hit by single target physical attack, 50% chance to apply slow to attacker. (Cost: 1)
Level 4 - Time Magic Lv.2: Haste, Quara, Teleport
Level 5 - Time Slip: Allows other jobs to equip the time mage specialty. (Cost: 3)
Level 6 - Time Magic Lv.3: Gravity, Slowga, Veil
Level 7 - Stop Immunity (Cost: 1)
Level 8 - Time Magic Lv.4: Comet, Hastega, Veilga
Level 9 - Save TM MP: Lowers MP cost of time magic by 25%. (Cost: 2)
Level 10 - Time Magic Lv.5: Quaga, Quicken, Stop
Level 11 - Slow World: Lower BP of all by 1 every two turns. Affects K.O.'d targets. (Cost: 2)
Level 12 - Time Magic Lv.6: Graviga, Meteor, Reraise
Level 13 - Magic Attack 30% Up (Cost: 3)
Level 14 - Hasten World: Raise BP of all by 1 every turn. Affects K.O.'d targets. (Cost: 2)
Clever use of Time Mage supports Hasten/Slow World are the centerpiece of some endgame team setups. Time magic is useful throughout the game, with gems such as Haste (raise targets speed by 50% for 4 turns) and Reraise (target automatically recovers from K.O. once).
This specialty was demonstrated in the Miasma Woods. Note it can only be used once per battle, no matter how many people have it equipped.
In other games, Time Mages wear robes and a distinctive, usually multi-colored brimless pointed hat. Bravely Default freshens things up with more on-the-nose, safety hazardous, clock-based headgear. As a guess based on the job's moon icon, their outfit is possibly also referencing the sky: the white dots on black can be seen as stars and the headgear could possibly represent the moon or sun, all ancient indicators of the passage of time.
The back features a giant gear behind the head, which cleverly encircles the longer hair of the gals. Edea's outfit also uses grey rather than black accents, which better complements the look.
