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I'm partial to creating MP regen/poison as a set of new status effects, entirely.  Then have White Magick Regen (and not Masamune) add both HP and MP regen.  Not sure how straightforward this is, though.  Could we just copy Regen's code over an unused status effect (such as blood suck), then change the active stat from HP to MP?  If the status effect table is evenly partitioned, it could be possible.

Also, we can add a bag that imparts MP regen so mages don't need to equip Move-MP UP all the time.

The current version of magic guns is like Yun in Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition: you can dabble with other characters, but you pick Yun by default if you are serious about winning.  This makes the meta-game too simple: you're either Yun or anti-Yun.

From here, I think it is best if we nerf the big offenders (e.g. magic guns, quickening, hidden knife), and buff many other things (e.g. time magick, ninjutsu, low-tier equipment) so that there is more than one big contender in the meta-game.  In my opinion, the ratio of viable to nonviable equipment and skills in Arena is currently around 1:3.  I would like to make that ratio 3:1.  This is why most of my posts call for buffs.

Yeah, so that a dancer would not be performing Nameless Dance when the opposing party gets its next turn, allowing the opposing party to cleanse ailments.

I spend 15~30 minutes per team by playing around with the team design tool.  Each team attempts to exploit a particular skill or skill set.  Most teams fail.  If I cannot find a way to exploit a particular skill well (e.g. Demi, Solution, Heretic), I usually complain about it in the balance thread.

The exception is before tournaments, when I spend hours playtesting teams, trying to find the most broken combinations possible.

I have (yet) another (fabulous) idea!  (In truth, I'm just bored.)  How comfortable would people feel if we gave first-tier Demi an AoE of 2?  With average damage clocking in at 100~125, and with damage being unboostable, it has the destructive output of first-tier Fire on a 15-MA caster.  Fire also adds Oil, costs half as much JP, and works with Oil.

Now, of course, Demi is better in other ways.  Demi:

• is on a skill set with support abilities
• has one less CT
• is equally usable by jobs of any base MA

so I don't mean to compare Demi and Fire on damage alone.

Why do I propose this?  For two reasons:

1. To promote balanced absorption strategies

Demi has a short CT, making it a useful method of healing, and it doesn't add nasty ailments like tier 1 black magick.  It is balanced because teams that will rely on party-wide Demi absorption will need to pass up on M-Ev, leaving them exposed to hostile magick.

2. To weaken damage-reduction strategies

By damage-reduction strategies, I mean the use of Overwhelm, (Magic) Defend UP, and perfumes.  Defensive strategies rustle my jimmies because they drag out matches.  Demi and status ailments are the sole two counters to these strategies.  Demi is unique in that it is the only "status-formula" skill that deals direct damage.  I feel an urge to promote this feature.  Now, I'm not suggesting that we break the game by buffing Demi's damage to the point of absurdity.  I'm suggesting that we allow it to be used in more ways (here, wide-area, simultaneous damage and healing in mild quantities.)  With more teams using Time Magick for their Haste and damage support, defensive strategies become that much less attractive.

Is an AoE of 2 too good?  Perhaps.  If I had it my way, I'd increase its AoE to 2 and leave it at that, but if there is dissenting opinion, I am willing to increase its cost of use in another way to compensate.  Increasing its MP cost, for example, will pre-emptively nerf teams that try to stack armour and spam Demi.

That said, very well. Let us "go" with the 100% hit rate that Wall now if we give it CT 0 even though Iron Will would still exist for low Faith users, which is hardly attractive when Chivalry might keep its for-some-reason instant Reraise ability.

I'm sure that wouldn't turn out to be obnoxious at all. [/sarcasm]

I don't think it will be any more obnoxious than Cherche and Setiemson.  As long as Wall costs more MP than Dispel Magic (which will also get an AoE of 1), Wall will have a viable counter.

Here are two JP modifications to throw on the pile:

Maintenance: 100 JP -> 0 JP
Maintenance is dramatically underpowered for a support ability.  Giving up your support ability for break protection is costly enough.

Equip Armor: 450 JP -> 250 JP
Equip Armor's 450 JP cost is from a time when clothes were much weaker than armour.  Now, clothes and armour are on approximately equal footing; it is appropriate to make their JP costs reflect that.  Keep in mind that mage classes, who find Equip Armor most attractive, must spend an additional 250 JP unlocking the Paladin skill set, which they will likely not use in any further capacity, for this ability.

1. I've been meaning to say this for a while now, but giving Bizen Boat will do absolutely nothing to curb it's so called 'abuse' for the simple fact that the AI will use Bizen Boat to interrupt spells. While said caster is Charging. Meaning they can't evade. Making adding M-Ev completely and utter worthless.

Making Bizen Boat take M-Ev is meant to reduce collateral damage.

The simple fact is that Half of MP is not a support of mages. Not for a type of unit that can easily get all the MP it could ever need. So I don't know what you're worried about. Besides, lowering it's cost will do nothing. It's already incredibly cheap as is. It could be free and it'll still be just as unused.

To add, Half of MP is not an attractive support for any clothes wearers, either, especially if we're about to slap an MP bonus on most clothes.  Armour support is the only unit type that gets much use out of it.  Furthermore, considering that this unit type has nearly the lowest base MA in the game, it will likely not be using its host skill set, Summon Magick, whose skills' formulae are mostly all MA*X.  If we're going to tweak Half of MP, we had best start off by moving it to another skill set.  Time Magick is the best choice.

1. Kagesougi "ambivalence"

3. Hidden Knife still needing a nerf:

These issues are related.  Kagesougi is nasty when it's paired with Hidden Knife.  Without Hidden Knife, you can guard against Kagesougi with P-EV (in addition to status-resistant armour as you can now).  Are people still against removing "Always: Transparent" from Hidden Knife?  We do have Concentrate now, after all.

Primary: White Secondary: Yellow ====================== Knives Male Cancer 50 50 Chemist Steal Auto Potion Equip Shield Move-HP UP Throwing Knife Ice Shield Thief Hat Black Costume Wizard Mantle X-Potion, Hi-Ether, Antidote, Echo Grass, Soft, Bandage, Phoenix Down Quickening, Steal Accessory ====================== 宇宙戦艦ヤァァマァァトォォォォ～  ♫ Yamato Male Cancer 40 70 Archer Draw Out Projectile Guard Magic Attack UP Move-HP UP Glacier Gun Kaiser Plate Thief Hat Black Costume Wizard Mantle Armor Break, Shield Break Masamune ====================== Farvis Male Cancer 70 70 Mediator White Magic Auto Potion Magic Defend UP Move-MP UP Stone Gun Black Hood White Robe Cherche Refute Raise, Raise 2, Protect ====================== Electric Jesus Female Capricorn 40 70 Wizard White Magic Counter Flood Equip Shield Move-MP UP Wizard Rod Kaiser Plate Golden Hairpin Linen Robe Setiemson Fire, Ice, Nether Ice, Bolt, Water, Poison Cure, Cure 2, Raise, Esuna ======================

Primary: Blue Secondary: Black ====================== Itagaki Male Serpentarius 70 40 Ninja Item Auto Potion Concentrate Move +1 Short Edge Spiked Futon Thief Hat Brigandine Cherche X-Potion, Antidote, Maiden's Kiss, Soft, Holy Water, Bandage, Phoenix Down ====================== Hayashi Male Serpentarius 40 40 Ninja Item Auto Potion Throw Item Move -1 Repel Knife Mage Masher Thief Hat Brigandine Wizard Mantle X-Potion, Hi-Ether, Antidote, Chronos Tear, Echo Grass, Maiden's Kiss, Soft, Holy Water, Bandage, Phoenix Down ====================== Ryu Male Serpentarius 70 50 Ninja Snipe Projectile Guard Attack UP Move-HP UP Hidden Knife Ninja Knife Green Beret Power Sleeve Elf Mantle Kagesougi Head Break, Armour Break ====================== Hayate Male Serpentarius 70 40 Ninja Draw Out Abandon Attack UP Move-HP UP Hidden Knife Ninja Knife Green Beret Power Sleeve Feather Mantle Kagesougi Kiyomori, Masamune ======================

Primary: Yellow Secondary: Brown ====================== Shirogane Male Virgo 70 50 Ninja Item Abandon Attack UP Move-HP UP Hidden Knife Ninja Knife Green Beret Power Sleeve Feather Mantle Kagesougi X-Potion, Echo Grass, Maiden's Kiss, Soft, Holy Water, Bandage, Phoenix Down ====================== Kurogami Male Virgo 70 50 Ninja Draw Out Abandon Attack UP Move-HP UP Hidden Knife Ninja Knife Green Beret Power Sleeve Feather Mantle Kagesougi Kiyomori, Masamune ====================== Satonaka Female Pisces 40 70 Archer White Magic Auto Potion Magic Defend UP Move-MP UP H Bag Aegis Shield Golden Hairpin Brigandine Cherche Cover Fire Raise 2, Esuna ====================== Amagi Female Pisces 40 70 Archer White Magic Auto Potion Magic Defend UP Move-MP UP H Bag Aegis Shield Golden Hairpin Brigandine Cherche Cover Fire Raise 2, Esuna ======================

Primary: Yellow Secondary: Brown ====================== Basil Male Leo 70 50 Thief Item Auto Potion Two Swords Hidden Knife Short Edge Thief Hat Rubber Costume Cherche Quickening, Steal Accessory X-Potion, Ether, Antidote, Echo Grass, Maiden's Kiss, Soft, Holy Water, Bandage, Phoenix Down ====================== Sage Male Leo 70 70 Chemist Steal Auto Potion Equip Shield Move-HP UP Blast Gun Kaiser Plate Thief Hat Rubber Costume Cherche X-Potion, Hi-Ether, Chronos Tear, Echo Grass, Maiden's Kiss, Soft, Bandage, Phoenix Down Quickening ====================== Lavender Female Aquarius 40 70 Wizard Draw Out MA Save Magic Attack UP Move-MP UP Wizard Rod Black Hood Black Robe Setiemson Bolt, Ice, Water Murasame, Masamune ====================== Fresh Sage Female Aquarius 40 70 Scholar White Magic Distribute Short Charge Move-MP UP Mace of Zeus Black Hood Wizard Robe Reflect Ring Thunder Flare, Bio Cure, Cure 3, Raise 2, Esuna ======================

No, the only things that apply are faith(caster & target), innocent, faith(status), zodiac compatibility and MA to an extent.

I support making Raise 2 take M-EV, then.  People won't have to swear by Flash Hats when playing with Cursed Rings.

Also, can we change Defense Armlet to Oven Mitt and give it an appropriate sprite?  There aren't enough cooking references in Kitchen Stadium Arena.