Part 134: Let's Learn Jobs: Summoner
Let's Learn Jobs: Summoner
Summoner is all about doling out the biggest and flashiest magic attacks by summoning hell monsters to devastate their enemies. They dress like fairy princesses/princes and thanks to Mephilia we all know what gruesomeness that implies.
Summoner is an old staple of Final Fantasy, present since FF3. Summoning has often played an important story role, whether due to a summoner such as FF4's Rydia, FF9's Garnet or FFX's Yuna, or because of the summons themselves, such as Ramuh and Shiva, who have often been characters in their own right. Bravely Default keeps the summoner but scraps the FF summons, coming up with all new faces/demonic contraptions to unleash.
Job icon is fairy wings to remind you of the terrible events you witnessed in the gardens. Job Command icon is harder to make out, but looks like a spell midcast or some sort of summoning circle or gate.
Summoners are unable to find the pointy end of a blade. Keep them to magic, where they can do either healing or damage with MP to spare.
Blue are support abilities, red are skill abilities.
Level 1 - Summoning Lv.1: Girtablulu (40 MP)
Level 2 - Abate Lightning: Halves lightning damage. (Cost: 1)
Level 3 - Summoning Lv.2: Hresvelgr (40 MP)
Level 4 - Summoning Lv.3: Ziusudra's Sin (40 MP)
Level 5 - Friendship: 2x affinity gained from Summon Friend. (Cost: 1)
Level 6 - Summoning Amp: Increases MP cost/damage for summons x 1.25. (Cost: 2)
Level 7 - Summoning Lv.4: Promethean Fire (40 MP)
Level 8 - Summoning Lv.5: Deus Ex (40 MP)
Level 9 - Summon Substitute: Upon self-K.O., randomly cast summon. Does not trigger from poison damage or when Reraise is in effect. (Cost: 1)
Level 10 - Summoning Lv.6: Susano-o (60 MP)
Level 11 - Convert MP: Allows other jobs to equip the Summoner specialty. (Cost: 1)
Level 12 - Summoning Surge: Summon damage increases 10% every time summon has been used during same battle. (Cost: 3)
Level 13 - Summon in Pinch: Upon reaching low health, cast free random summon. (Cost: 2)
Level 14 - Amp Friends: Boost effects of Summon Friend abilities. (Cost: 1)
Summoner is an odd duck. Aside from the normal summons you find ingame, it focuses on improvements to the Summon Friend mechanic. This can make Summoner powerful if you use Bravely Default's multiplayer, or not so useful if you prefer to pretend online features don't exist in ostensibly single player games.
That aside, Summoner still packs plenty of punch with its large multi-target elemental attacks and abusable support abilities. Plus, hunting down new summons is a fun side activity.
Restores MP equal to 1% of damage taken. Poison damage does not count.
Summoner outfits are elegant black dresses and suits with delicate rainbow accents. I question the party's taste and wisdom in integrating mind-altering fairy wings into the design, but hopefully they're artificial rather than the real deal.
