 |
| Vivi, from Final Fantasy 9 is a stylized version of the classic black mage comprised of dark energy with glowing eyes. |
The mage is the last member
of the original set of four archetypes.
Filling the role of a second magic caster, the mage deals damage
primarily (and almost exclusively) with offensive, powerful, elemental-based
spells. Utilizing fireballs, icicle
daggers, and lightning storms are all just the tip of the iceberg for these
spellcasters. This type of magic is
known as black magic (contrary to the white magic that is used for healing) so
this mage is also known as a black mage is certain connotations.
As far as equipment goes, we see the black mage using the same type of weapons and robes that the white mages use. The weapons can get a little more creative, though. We see the typical staff and rod type weapons used for spellcasting, a common staff user being Vivi from Final Fantasy 9, and Mia & Nash from Lunar Legend (you get two black mages in that game, both focusing on different elements). This is by far the most common weapon used by this class, but interesting alternatives have included animated dolls (Lulu, from Final Fantasy X), and books (Leon, from Star Ocean 2). Lulu sends her doll out to do her bidding, resulting in a weak poke attack that is more comedic than useful, while Leon opens his book to various pages that have different effects (such as a large demon emerging that exclusively hits flying enemies). The idea that the black mage is placing a spell upon his/her own weapon in order for it to be semi useful speaks for the fighting style of this archetype. Overall, the black mage follows the same path as the cleric in that they really should rely on their magic to be effective in combat – which is generally never a problem because these two classes have by far the most magic points of any other class in any game.
The
clothing worn by these mages also resemble that of the cleric. The biggest difference is that the black mage
may have more “witch” or wizard-like clothing like wide brimmed hats and colors
ranging from dark blues to purples and blacks.
The most generic of all black mages is stylized to be a literal black
mass of energy with two yellow eyes, most recently portrayed by Vivi in Final
Fantasy 9. It was also explained in this
game that these creatures were “created” rather than born, and therefore not
human at all. This adds to the
mysteriousness and ambiguity that is associated with this archetype. As for the humans portraying this class they
tend to be sinister, soft-spoken, and quite intelligent (traits that match a
scholar).
The black mages can be some of the most powerful allies consistently throughout the game. Because they focus on the elements, they have the easiest time exploiting an enemy’s weakness. For example, if an enemy is weak to fire, a mage could simply cast a fire-based spell whereas a fighter would have to find a weapon imbued with fire or enchant their weapon. Some black mages even have the ability to create an elemental weakness for an enemy that has none, or has a weakness to a type of element that the spellcaster does not know. This constant heavy damage dealing is separated by spells that often inflict negative status effects on their enemies, such as poison clouds, petrification, confusion, and sleep. This is a great parallel to the white mage who has spells that lift all of these negative effects. The black mages tend to revolve around the elements of fire (ranging from simple fireballs to volcanic eruptions), ice (ranging from a cold gust of wind to a howling blizzard), lightning (ranging from a single lightning bolt to a vicious storm), and earth (ranging from a smashing boulder to a lethal earthquake). At first glance, it seems that black mages should be considered demigods by the way that they can control their environment, and you wouldn’t be too far off.
Aside from elements, non-elemental spells can also be used to deal damage to any enemy without worrying about their resistance to a certain element. Spells like meteor that (surprise) summon a giant meteor from space to annihilate foes. There's also flare, an intense explosion of light, both serve as safe, powerful spells that can do an equally large amount of damage to any enemy that is weak to magic in general, not a specific type. The black mage can also be associated with doom, and the Death spell can cause instant death to an enemy. Although some enemies (and certainly all bosses) are immune to instant-death, to those that do not there is literally no way they can prevent an attack like this, making your job a whole lot easier.
The black mage is definitely one of the heaviest hitters damage-wise when in comes to archetypes. Unlike most other classes, however, this comes with the price of steep magic point costs to some of the higher level spells. Realistically speaking though, how much magic would it take to pull a meteor down from space?! I think that it scales nicely as the black mage might not be the most powerful without magic, but can consistently deal high amounts of damage with a steady flow of magic points coming their way. If you like to deal a lot of damage, exploit enemy’s weaknesses, and fight from a distance then the mage is a perfect choice for your playstyle.
As far as equipment goes, we see the black mage using the same type of weapons and robes that the white mages use. The weapons can get a little more creative, though. We see the typical staff and rod type weapons used for spellcasting, a common staff user being Vivi from Final Fantasy 9, and Mia & Nash from Lunar Legend (you get two black mages in that game, both focusing on different elements). This is by far the most common weapon used by this class, but interesting alternatives have included animated dolls (Lulu, from Final Fantasy X), and books (Leon, from Star Ocean 2). Lulu sends her doll out to do her bidding, resulting in a weak poke attack that is more comedic than useful, while Leon opens his book to various pages that have different effects (such as a large demon emerging that exclusively hits flying enemies). The idea that the black mage is placing a spell upon his/her own weapon in order for it to be semi useful speaks for the fighting style of this archetype. Overall, the black mage follows the same path as the cleric in that they really should rely on their magic to be effective in combat – which is generally never a problem because these two classes have by far the most magic points of any other class in any game.
 |
| Lulu is a beautiful yet harsh woman who is as serious as she is deadly. She animates her dolls to attack for her. |
The black mages can be some of the most powerful allies consistently throughout the game. Because they focus on the elements, they have the easiest time exploiting an enemy’s weakness. For example, if an enemy is weak to fire, a mage could simply cast a fire-based spell whereas a fighter would have to find a weapon imbued with fire or enchant their weapon. Some black mages even have the ability to create an elemental weakness for an enemy that has none, or has a weakness to a type of element that the spellcaster does not know. This constant heavy damage dealing is separated by spells that often inflict negative status effects on their enemies, such as poison clouds, petrification, confusion, and sleep. This is a great parallel to the white mage who has spells that lift all of these negative effects. The black mages tend to revolve around the elements of fire (ranging from simple fireballs to volcanic eruptions), ice (ranging from a cold gust of wind to a howling blizzard), lightning (ranging from a single lightning bolt to a vicious storm), and earth (ranging from a smashing boulder to a lethal earthquake). At first glance, it seems that black mages should be considered demigods by the way that they can control their environment, and you wouldn’t be too far off.
Aside from elements, non-elemental spells can also be used to deal damage to any enemy without worrying about their resistance to a certain element. Spells like meteor that (surprise) summon a giant meteor from space to annihilate foes. There's also flare, an intense explosion of light, both serve as safe, powerful spells that can do an equally large amount of damage to any enemy that is weak to magic in general, not a specific type. The black mage can also be associated with doom, and the Death spell can cause instant death to an enemy. Although some enemies (and certainly all bosses) are immune to instant-death, to those that do not there is literally no way they can prevent an attack like this, making your job a whole lot easier.
The black mage is definitely one of the heaviest hitters damage-wise when in comes to archetypes. Unlike most other classes, however, this comes with the price of steep magic point costs to some of the higher level spells. Realistically speaking though, how much magic would it take to pull a meteor down from space?! I think that it scales nicely as the black mage might not be the most powerful without magic, but can consistently deal high amounts of damage with a steady flow of magic points coming their way. If you like to deal a lot of damage, exploit enemy’s weaknesses, and fight from a distance then the mage is a perfect choice for your playstyle.
No comments:
Post a Comment