Part 10: Job Analysis: Black Mage

The basic offensive magic class, Black Mage casts the spells that make people fall down.

Stat Changes

Strength: -9
Agility: 0
Stamina: -2
Magic: +31

The Black Mage does one thing, magic. But it does it really well.

Innate Skills

Black Magic: The Black Mage can cast any learned spell listed under Black Magic.

Learned Skills:

Black Magic 1: Allows any class to cast Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder.
_{AP Required: 10}

Black Magic 2: Allows any class to cast Poison, Sleep, and Toad.
_{AP Required:20}

Black Magic 3: Allows any class to cast Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara
_{AP Required: 30}

Black Magic 4: Allows any class to cast Break, Drain, and Bio
_{AP Required: 50}

Black Magic 5: Allows any class to cast Firaga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga
_{AP Required: 70}

Black Magic 6: Allows any class to cast Flare, Death, and Osmose.
_{AP Required: 100}

MP +30%: Increases the MP of whoever has it equipped by 30%
_{AP Required: 450}

Total AP to Master: 730

Black Magic

Fire: Does light Fire elemental damage.
_{MP Cost: 4}

Blizzard: Does light Ice elemental damage
_{MP Cost: 4}

Thunder: Does light Thunder elemental damage.
_{MP Cost: 4}

Poison: Inflicts the Poison status.
_{MP Cost: 2}

Sleep: Inflicts the Sleep status.
_{MP Cost: 3}

Toad: Inflicts the Toad status.
_{MP Cost: 8}

Fira: Inflicts medium Fire elemental damage.
_{MP Cost: 10}

Blizzara: Inflicts medium Ice elemental damage.
_{MP Cost: 10}

Thundara: Inflicts medium Thunder elemental damage.
_{MP Cost: 10}

Drain: Does damage and heals the caster bases off the damage dealt.
_{MP Cost: 13}

Break: Inflicts the Petrify status.
_{MP Cost: 16}

Bio: Does Poison Elemental damage and inflicts the Sap status.
_{MP Cost: 16}

Firaga: Does heavy Fire elemental damage.
_{MP Cost: 25}

Blizzaga: Does heavy Ice elemental damage.
_{MP Cost: 25}

Thundaga: Does heavy Thunder elemental damage.
_{MP Cost: 25}

Flare: Does massive Non-Elemental damage.
_{MP Cost: 39}

Death: Instantly kills an enemy.
_{MP Cost: 29}

Osmose: Drains an enemy's MP, restores Casters MP based on amount drained.
_{MP Cost: 1}

Normal Play Analysis
You can't go wrong with a Black Mage. They may just do "offensive magic" but they're powerful enough to really just need to do that. While other classes may outshine the Black Mage in one part of the "Hit hard with elements" role, they're not a versatile as the Black Mage. Unlike Summons, Black Mage can focus fire so you can only hit the enemy weak to one element and not the others that absorb it. And the Mystic Knight takes a turn to charge up, while the Black Mage has already killed it. Basically you'll want to be always casting one of the elemental spells with the appropriate boosting rod.

Low Level Play Analysis

MP is the problem. As great as Black Mage is, without MP to cast the spells its kind of screwed over, and unlike the Blue Mage it lacks powers that can end an encounter in one or two casts.