Part 171: A Summoner Princess in Final Fantasy. How Original.

So, welcome to a FFV Summoner Solo Class Challenge, to start, let's see Bartz take down the two gob-



Hmm. So I guess we're working with Lenna this time. Statistically speaking Lenna normally has slightly better stats
for magic than Bartz. To normalize it for those at home, I'll use a quick hack that switches Bartz and Lenna's
sprites, which also will allow Lenna to participate in a few battles she usually can't.


So, the Summoner Job has many things going for and against it.

Pros:
Highest Magic Stat in the Game
All Magic beyond Tier 1 automatically hits every enemy
All summons bypass reflect abilities.
Can wield Rods so can benefit from Rod's Elemental Magic Multipliers

Cons:
All Magic beyond Tier 1 hits every enemy, meaning you can't bypass absorbs if you don't have the right skill.
Use more MP than every other spellcaster
Abysmal Strength Stat
Subpar Agility and Vitality Stat
Can only cast magic after reaching Walse

Really, there isn't much to say about how the Summoner works until after Magissa is defeated, so I'll just do a quick
rundown of those bosses.


Deaths: 0
Elixers: 0

Wing Raptor is a very easy boss and can be easily beaten with non-monk barehanded solo. With the Dagger from Faris it
only took 3 potions.


Karlabos, on the other hand, is difficult for almost all solo class runs. Let's start by posting his code

code:

Karlabos (Heavy)
HP: 650
Weak to Bolt.
Vulnerable to Stop, Slow.

AI Script:
{Fight,Feeler,Feeler}
{Fight,Tailscrew,Feeler}
{Fight,Tailscrew,Feeler}

This has been posted in the other solo runs, but the primary threat of this gorup is the fact that Karlabos can
easily get a guarenteed kill on you if you uses Tailscrew and then either feeler or a standard attack if you don't
heal in time.

That ability block is bad enough, but to add to it let's look at how much damage Lenna is actually capable of doing.
Because Lenna is using the Dagger, the Knife damage formula is what we are looking for.

code:

Damage = (Attack - Defence) * M
M = (Strength * Level)/128 + [(Agility * Level)/128]* + 2
*A Bug means Agility can only have a modifier of 0 or 1, depending whether the value is even or odd respectively.

The key things to see here is M, the multiplier value. As it goes up it provides a significant boost to damage. That
is, as long as you have enough stats to get them. Summoners... really don't have those stats. At 18 strength and 24
agility, Lenna really can't do much damage-wise. Strength will increase in multiplier once every 7 levels gained,
meaning that the first major damage increase for Lenna would be at level 8. This should set the damage multiplier to 4, combined with Agility's boost at Level 6 meaning that base damage should be multiplied by 4, but the bug in the formula means that the dagger's damage will go down to a multiplier of 3 at Level 11. The formula returns to 4 at level 15, and up an additional one at level 16. This makes my damage roughly 80 per hit, like Walter.

Combined, this means that I need to hit Karlabos 9 times and not proc a insta death combo.




I grind for some Elixers from the Moldwynds in the Wind Shrine. Surprisingly, despite only a 1/16 chance of a drop
for elixer, I manage to get 3 from that battle. That kind of luck means I must be ready for the Dark Lobster.


Karlabos
Deaths: 9
Elixers: 7
Ethers: 0

Fortunately enough, I do get a realitively painless Karlabos battle early, though he used Tailscrew enough that it
severly cut into my Elixer supplies.

After Karlabos is the also painful Siren battle. Fortunately, all the leveling that was done to make Karl possible to
kill will help trivialize the Ship Graveyard.


While tempting to leave it behind, I remember to pick up the Map. I'll need it to obtain one of the summons later.




In the first display of summoning this entire Run, Lenna opens up a chest to summon half of a ship. After that it's
time for the encounter with the Siren.


Deaths: 2
Elixers: 2
Ethers: 0

code:

Siren (Human, Heavy)
HP: 900
MP: 200
Vulnerable to Death, Stone, Poison, Blind, Old, Paralyze, Confuse, Berserk, Stop, Slow.

AI Script (Alive):
{Mute,Slow,Haste}
{Cure,Ice,Scan}
{Armor,Sleep,Bolt}
No Interrupt{
     Display Text: Changes to an Undead!
     Unhide Monster: Siren (2nd form)
     }

AI Script (Undead):
Fight,Siren (Undead, Heavy)
Weak to Fire. Absorbs Poison.
Vulnerable to Death, Stone, Blind, Slow.

AI Script:
{Fight,Venomous Clasp,Fight}
{Fight,Venomous Clasp,Fight}
{Fight,Venomous Clasp,Venomous Clasp}
Unhide Monster: Siren (1st form)

My winning run against the siren mostly came from it repeatedly using Mute in it's first round while alive rather
than either Slow or Haste, which are much more difficult to deal with without more solid healing/damage. Lenna
triumphently walks to Carwen for the most important item in this part of the game, along with a small armor up.





She then decides to pay a visit to Magissa




Before the update ends, Lenna sees fit to risk her life to save another. Thankfully, it is a Magic Dragon that can cure her of poison.



Dragons: 1
Deaths: 11

Unfortunately, it's going to need to pick up the slack if it wants to catch up to Lenna's deaths.

NEXT TIME: A Summoner Princess actually Summons Things