Need names for Final Fantasy Tactics generic units...

[johannhowitzer]

I never really cared for most of the random names FFT generates for new recruits, but the playthrough I have planned will incorporate three generic units with specific zodiac signs, so I'll need to recruit.  Stumped on the names; here are the setups for each:

Female Sagittarius Monk with Steal, 50 Faith
Male Gemini Wizard with Time Magic, 75 Faith
Female Virgo Ninja with Item, 55 Faith

Looking for serious/cool names, not joke names.  They should at least resemble real-world names, if they're not actually real-world names.

[Astrocyte]

Monk - Shu Lien
Wizard - Li Mu Bai
Ninja - Shen Yu

Heh, stock names. One of my veteran units from my last Ogre Battle playthrough was headed by a monk named Peppermint.

[johannhowitzer]

I decided to use two names I used for Final Fantasy I, and one name the random generator gave me.

Monk - Kate
Wizard - Gray
Ninja - Violet

[Astrocyte]

Wow, I had a superstar ninja named Violet in one of my FFT games! May your Violet be just as badass!

[johannhowitzer]

So far, she has been.  Mooching off Ramza's Concentrate skill, and lots of MA-boosting gear for uber Fire Ball throws.  I've been abusing the zodiac system for a fast, safe playthrough; I'm about to play Goland Coal City.  Oracles are fun!

Interesting thing about chance-of-success spells (like most Oracle spells) is that the MA stat plays very little part.  Usually a high stat will only boost about 5% compared to a low stat.  It's all about Faith and zodiac... this means that a character that uses physical-type gear, like a Knight, can adopt Yin Yang Magic very effectively (this is also why Beowulf's Oracle-ish sword spells work so dang well).  My Agrias is a Knight that can use not only Speed Break etc., but also put enemies to sleep, petrify them, silence casters from afar... and high Faith is okay, since she's got a lot of HP.

Fun, simple tip on using zodiac: make Ramza a Pisces (March 1st works for that).  That way, he takes HALF damage versus Wiegraf and Velius, and three-quarters damage from Elmdor!

My Violet is unofficially named after the daughter from The Incredibles.

[johannhowitzer]

Heh, actually, I've been mucking around with the zodiac stuff in FFT a LOT lately.  It seems arcane at first, but once you get started it's not hard at all, especially since you can retrieve any unit's compatibilities from the interface itself during a battle (select unit, then "status," then hit select and pick the unit's zodiac sign).

Here's the math behind chance-to-hit spell effects...

n% = (Caster Faith) x (Target Faith) x (MA stat + innate spell accuracy) x (zodiac modifier)

Caster and target Faith can both be anywhere from 0-100.  Individual spell accuracies are anywhere from 100 to 250... Raise has an accuracy of 180, while Death has an accuracy of 100.  Zodiac modifier is 1 for neutral, 0.75 for bad, 0.5 for worst, 1.25 for good, and 1.5 for best.  Zodiac compatibility can make hitting a target with low Faith a sure thing.

Let's say your Time Mage has 75 Faith and casts Haste on your Ninja, who has 50 Faith.  The two have Best compatibility - opposite gender, opposite sign.  With neutral zodiac, this would mean a 69% chance to hit; with Best, it bumps to just over 100%.  Your Ninja still retains 50 Faith and therefore decent defense against enemy casters.  Heck, Shell has 200 accuracy, so that's even better.

Party coordination is a little complex, but it's possible to organize your party so that every effect that matters has decent to excellent chances to affect its intended target.  Even more useful (and easier!) is knowing which zodiac signs your chance-to-hit casters favor... this can allow you to pinpoint enemies that can be Sleeped or Silenced immediately, or even just outright slain via Death or Petrify.

Agrias' sign is naturally Cancer, so having Yin Yang Magic equipped, my Agrias can easily affect Scorpio and Pisces targets (and male Capricorns are even better).  Since my Ramza is a Pisces Priest, I know I can Pray Faith on him easily.

I'm done nerding... for now.