Final Fantasy VI Red Mage Challenge

The first challenge run is going to be a Final Fantasy VI Red Mage run. This shall be completed using the Gameboy Advance re-release version.

What is a Red Mage?

Looking through the various types of Red Mage shown throughout the Final Fantasy series, the definition we will use for a Red Mage in this game is:

  • A character who can use swords (not knives/ninja daggers/katanas. Purely weapons defined as swords in the game [listed below])
  • A character who can use mid-level magic of any type (mid-level magic listed below)

The characters who naturally fulfil this are:

  • Terra
  • Celes

The characters who can also use swords and can learn magic from magicite are:

  • Locke
  • Edgar
  • Cyan (however, Cyan can only equip one sword naturally [zantetsuken] which is obtained near the end of the game)

Then we get to some fun caveats:

  • Gau – Gau cannot equip swords naturally. However, Gau can use rage abilities where the rage can use swords and magic. Therefore, Gau is allowed to fulfil this as long as Gau is only using specific rages (listed below).
  • Merit badge – This relic is obtained from the Colosseum and allows for characters to equip weapons that they can’t normally use, including swords. This can be used by all other party members except Umaro and Gogo – so I may use this if I am in need of some additional party members later on for Kefka’s tower.

So (if we are not using the merit badge), we will end up with six possible characters for the end game section (enough for a party of 4 against Kefka, and two parties of 1 for the rest of the tower).

Rules:

  • Only characters who fulfil the criteria of a Red Mage may be used in battle (with the exception of any game sections where this is not possible. For example: Sabin’s fight on Mt. Kolts where a blitz command needs to be used to progress the story [a full list of scenarios I can remember are listed below]). Where characters don’t fulfil the criteria (including characters who will eventually fulfil the criteria once magicite is available), they should be killed and only the characters who are Red Mages should be used.
  • If a character knows higher level magic, they may not use it in combat.
  • Any other equipment/relics may be used.
  • Items can be used

Additional rules:

  • Mog and the Moogle medal can be used in Kefka’s tower to allow one party to avoid encounters
  • All party members can be acquired during world 2 (just cannot be used if they don’t fulfil the inclusion criteria)
  • Character abilities:
    • Terra can use trance
    • Celes can use runic
    • Gau can use rage
    • Cyan can use sword skills (if he can with zantetsuken)
    • Edgar can only use tools that inflict magic based effects that a Red Mage can learn (until acquiring magic, Edgar may be used in this way if necessary – it’s similar to using magitech so I’m allowing it). Therefore, Edgar can use the Bio laser and Noise blaster.
    • Locke cannot use steal (not really an ability a Red Mage can use, though it pains me to get rid of it)
    • If additional characters are used, none of their special abilities can be used in battle
  • Any exploit not identified specifically in these rules are permitted (to give a chance of completing the run, as this doesn’t seem like a simple run)
  • Espers cannot be used as summons

Appendix A – Swords

Swords include:

  • Excalipoor
  • Mythril Sword
  • Great Sword
  • Rune Blade
  • Bastard Sword
  • Flametongue
  • Icebrand
  • Thunder Blader
  • Stoneblader
  • Blood sword
  • Soul Sabre
  • Enhancer
  • Crystal Sword
  • Falchion
  • Organic
  • Zantetsuken
  • Excalibur
  • Save the Queen
  • Apocalypse
  • Ragnarok
  • Lightbringer
  • Ultima Weapon

Appendix B – Magic

The list of magic was determined by looking at the spells used by Red Mages/Wizards in Final Fantasy I, and referring to those available in other titles (including XI and XIV). The list of allowed spells are:

  • White magic:
    • Cure and Cura
    • Raise
    • Poisona and Esuna
    • Regen
  • Black magic:
    • Fire and Fira, Blizzard and Blizzara, Thunder and Thundara
    • Poison and Drain
    • Gravity
  • Status magic (grey):
    • Libra
    • Slow, Slowra (usable by Red Wizards in FF1), Silence, Sleep, Confuse
    • Protect, Haste, Berserk, Float, Imp (is this game’s equivalent to Toad, which Red Mages can use in other games)
    • Shell, Vanish (used by Red Wizards in FF1)
    • Teleport, Valor (allowed as Red Mages can use something equivalent in FF1)
    • Quick (effectively allows all Red Mages to dual cast, which makes sense)

Appendix C – Rages

The rages that Gau can use (where a monster uses a sword and an allowed spell) are:

  • Imperial Soldier (Rune Blade and Fire)
  • Harvester (Rune Blade and Haste)
  • Neck Hunter (Rune Blade and Imp)
  • Imperial Elite (Rune Blade and Protect)
  • Seaflower (Rune Blade and Sleep)

There were others that use rune blades, but they used higher level spells.

Appendix D – Scenarios where a Red Mage may not be used (as it is not possible)

Examples:

  • Locke and Moogle fight in the mine
  • Sabin fight on Mt. Kolts
  • During the three way split path – Locke’s path (before Celes is obtained) and Sabin’s path (before Gau is obtained)
  • Ultros Fight with Relm (where we need to make sure we get his best side, can’t introduce fire to that – calamari is not as beautiful)

I’ll update this with other scenarios if they pop up!

I think that’s everything! If you have any suggestions, please send a message through. This may end up being edited a priori when problems occur, in which I’ll make a note of any rule changes here.