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For those interested in game mechanics, this page lists details of how Final Fantasy V makes various computations. Mastering this material is not needed to complete game and is provided for those who are interested in what is going on behind the scenes.


Base character statistics[edit]

Overview[edit]

The four base character statistics are Vigor (aka Strength), Speed (aka Agility), Stamina (aka Vitality), and Mag.Pwr. The remaining statistics, HP, MP, Bat.Pwr, Defense, Evade, Mag.Def, and Weight are determined by the base statistics and current equipment, though there is some equipment that can affect the main four base statistics as well.

Determination[edit]

The values of four base statistics are the base values for the current job increased by values that depend on the character. In other words

Value = (value for job) + (value for character).

Certain abilities, when active, guarantee a value for certain statistics. For example, if a Monk has earned the White 1 ability selected then the Mag.Pwr is increased. This allows the Monk to be an effective healer even though the Mag.Pwr value for Monks would be in the single digits otherwise. In this case the value is determined by the base value for the ability increased by values that depend on the character. In other words

Value = (value for ability) + (value for character).

The larger of the two values is used, so the alternative formula will never result in base statistics being reduced. Note that the character must not only have earned the ability, but must have selected it as an active ability.

The job values are:

Job Vigor Speed Stamina Mag.Pwr
Bare 24 24 24 24
Knight 47 25 44 10
Monk 50 25 50 1
Thief 25 40 26 18
W. Mage 17 25 24 49
B. Mage 15 24 22 55
BlueMage 16 25 27 47
Berserker 45 15 49 1
Sorcerer 38 38 38 25
TimeMage 19 26 21 48
Summoner 14 23 23 57
Red Mage 32 29 18 32
Ninja 39 38 27 14
Trainer 37 25 32 21
Geomancer 28 26 28 48
Hunter 24 24 24 24
Bard 16 32 15 35

The ability values are:

Ability Vigor Speed Stamina Mag.Pwr
White 1 39
White 2 41
Black 1 40
Black 2 43
Sumn 1 41


The characters values are:

Character Vigor Speed Stamina Mag.Pwr
Bartz 4 1 3 1
Reina 1 2 1 4
Galuf 3 0 4 0
Faris 3 3 2 2

For example, the statistics for Bartz as a Knight are Vigor = 4+47 = 51, Speed = 1+25 = 26, Stamina = 3+44, Mag.Pwr = 1+10 = 11. But if Bartz selects !White as an ability, having earned White 1, the Mag.Pwr is increased to 1+39 = 40.

Meaning[edit]

Vigor: High vigor increases the effect physical weapons such as swords and spears, as well as unarmed attacks. It also contributes to the power of physical weapons which require skill such as Bows as well as throwing attacks.

Speed: Mainly Speed is used to determine how fast your action bar fills up, so the higher the speed the more often your character can act in battle. It's also contributes to the power of physical weapons which require skill such as Bows as well as throwing attacks. The power of Bells is also partially determined by Speed.

Stamina: This is mainly used to determine HP but has less obvious effects such as the rate at which regen restores HP.

Magic Power: This determines MP, the power of spells, and the power of weapons used by mages such as rods and staves. The power of Bells is also partially determined by Magic Power.

Other statistics[edit]

HP and MP[edit]

HP is determined by the character's Stamina and an HP multiplier which depends on the level. Similarly, the MP is determined by the character's Mag.Pwr and an MP multiplier which depends on the character's level. The HP and MP multipliers are given in the Level table below. Note that equipment which changes a character's Mag.Pwr are ignored in this calculation. The formulas are:

HP = (Stamina/32+1) * (HP Mult)
MP = (Mag.Pwr/32+1) * (MP Mult)

where any fraction is dropped. For example to compute Bartz' HP and MP as Level 4 with no Job selected, first get the stamina, 27, and Mag.Pwr, 25 (see the Base Stats section). Divide these by 32 and add 1 to get 1.84375 and 1.78125. Now multiply by HP Mult and MP Mult to get 1.84375*40 = 73.75 and 1.78125*11=19.59375 and drop fractions to get HP=73 and MP=19. (Note: Faris' initial MP is 10 which is not the predicted value (14). This seems to be a harmless bug since no spells can be cast until a job is selected and the MP changes to 14 if Faris at level 3 selects a Job and then goes back to Bare.)

Bat.Pwr[edit]

This is a measure of the power of the current weapon. This is usually determined by the weapon itself, with an unarmed character normally having a Bat.Pwr of 3.

Defense[edit]

This reduces the power of physical attacks and is determined by what armor the character is wearing.

Evade[edit]

This is the chance that a character will dodge an attack is determined by the shield equipped.

Mag.Def[edit]

This is similar to Defense only it applies to spells and magical attacks.

Weight[edit]

This is the total weight of the armor equipped and, along with Speed, determines how fast the action bar fills up. The higher the weight the more time is needed.

Level table[edit]

This table lists, for each level, the EXP reqired to reach that level, and multipliers used to determine HP and MP.

Level EXP HP Mult MP Mult
1 0 20 3
2 10 25 5
3 33 30 8
4 74 40 11
5 140 50 14
6 241 60 17
7 389 70 20
8 599 80 23
9 888 90 26
10 1276 100 29
11 1786 120 32
12 2441 140 35
13 3269 160 38
14 4299 180 41
15 5564 200 44
16 7097 220 47
17 8936 240 50
18 11120 260 53
19 13691 280 56