Wizard

The Wizard is one of the first Job Classes where you can pick up magic spells, and it is also your strongest magic-using class. The Wizard has the highest Magic Attack Power of any job class in the game, along with a great skill set of Black Magic spells. While Summoners have more visually impressive spells with longer range, Wizards have cheaper and faster spells that can be deadly. This class focuses on the use of powerful magic to attack on the battlefield; thus it is a very weak fighting class, with only Rods available to fight with. Wizards can equip lower level equipment, with Hats and Clothes, but they also have access to Robes, which give them a huge boost in MP. For this reason, I suggest toiling under the lower HP of a Robe in exchange for the large MP boost. Wizards are great additions to the party, so I suggest keeping a Wizard in your party throughout the first two chapters of the game and keeping somebody with the Black Magic skill set available at all times.

The Wizard's place in battle is in the back, where you can take full advantage of their spells, while keeping them protected by your fighters. You can beef up their HP deficit and put them on the front line with the Equip Armor Support Ability, but that removes the MP bonus of the Robe and prevents you from equipping a Support Ability like Short Charge, Half of MP, or Magic Attack Up, which are all better suited to their needs. Keep your Wizards in the back, protected by stronger characters, but in a position where they are able to cast their powerful spells and destroy your enemies.

Equipment

Weapon: Rod
Shield?: No
Helmet: Hat
Armor Type: Clothes, Robe

Black Magic

Name	Description	Range	Effect	Vertical	MP	Speed	Jp	Useful?
Fire	Fire elemental attack	4	2	1	6	25	50	Yes
Fire 2	Mid-level fire elemental attack	4	2	2	12	20	200	Yes
Fire 3	Powerful fire elemental attack	4	2	3	24	15	480	Yes
Fire 4	Very powerful fire elemental attack	4	3	3	48	10	850	No
Bolt	Lightning elemental attack	4	2	1	6	25	50	Yes
Bolt 2	Mid-level lightning elemental attack	4	2	2	12	20	200	Yes
Bolt 3	Powerful lightning elemental attack	4	2	3	24	15	480	Yes
Bolt 4	Very powerful lightning elemental attack	4	3	3	48	10	850	No
Ice	Ice elemental attack	4	2	1	6	25	50	Yes
Ice 2	Mid-level ice elemental attack	4	2	2	12	20	200	Yes
Ice 3	Powerful ice elemental attack	4	2	3	24	15	480	Not really
Ice 4	Very powerful ice elemental attack	4	3	3	48	10	850	No
Poison	Poisons enemy, lowering their HP every turn Adds: Poison	4	2	2	6	34	150	Sometimes
Frog	Turns target into a frog and vice versa - Adds: Frog	3	1	N/A	12	20	500	Rarely
Death	Kills target immediately - Adds: Dead	4	1	N/A	24	10	600	Not really
Flare	Large fireball drops from the sky and does massive damage to one target	5	1	N/A	60	15	900	Very useful

The Wizard's skill set of Black Magic is one of the better skill sets in the game. The spells that make up this class are all offensive, with many potentially fatal attacks available to your Wizard. The majority of these spells are the 3 elemental attacks: Fire, Bolt, and Ice. While most enemies are more susceptible to Fire and Bolt spells, some, such as Goblins, are weak against Ice spells. I recommend buying the first two levels of each spell, and then purchasing the level 3 spells. I never found much of a use for the level 4 spells, as they were slow and expensive to use, both in MP and in JP. Also, the level 4 spells can't be used by a Calculator, unlike the other 3, so they really aren't worth the bother. Of the other spells available to the Wizard, Poison is cheap and can be effective early on, while Frog and Death aren't really anything special. Make sure to pick up Flare as well, as it is the strongest spell available to the Wizard and is worth the 60 MP and 900 JP it costs. Before using any Black Magic spell, check the AT list to make sure it will connect with the desired target. This will help you avoid unneccessary headaches like enemies moving out of range or moving next to your characters, making them targets as well.

Black Magic is a great secondary ability to give to your characters throughout the game, especially for characters training in other magic-based classes. After your Wizard learns all the good spells in this class, transfer him or her to another class, like Priest, Time Mage, or Summoner, where you can make good use of these spells. I recommend buying the basic elemental skills for all characters, as well any more powerful spells that you can afford. The great thing about this skill set is that you can cast powerful spells without using up many MP. I recommend keeping this skill set on a character for most of your battles, as Black Magic can  help you win a tough battle very quickly. When used judiciously, Black Magic can tear your enemies to shreds.

Reaction Abilities

Name	Description	Trigger	JP	Useful?
Counter Magic	When your character is hit with a magic spell, your character immediately counters with the same spell.	Magic Effect	800	Sometimes

The Wizard's lone reaction ability, Counter Magic, has its bright spots. If your character is hit with a magic spell, he/she will automatically counter with the same spell. This isn't the best Reaction Ability in the game, but it can be a top-notch skill if used right. For example, if an enemy Wizard hits three of your characters with a Fire spell and all three have this ability equipped, he could get hit with three seperate fire spells from your characters. Ouch! Also, if your Priest or Time Mage hits you with a Cure or Haste spell, you can return the favor and ease the burden on them. If you use this skill to its fullest potential and think out the possibilities, you can reap huge benefits from this skill on the battlefield.

Support Abilities

Name	Description	JP	Useful?
Magic Attack Up	Makes a character's magic attacks more powerful	400	Sometimes

The Wizard's support skill of Magic Attack Up is a decent support skill for your mages, as it amplifies the damage that your magic attacks cause. If you stick it on a powerful Wizard or Summoner, the damage from even the simplest spells will be massive and you can eliminate all of your foes quicker and easier. However, there are drawbacks to this skill. As you get further into the game, you may want to switch to a more effective ability for your mages, like Half of MP or Short Charge. Also, as you might imagine, this skill is useless in the hands of a warrior. For these guys, go with the Geomancer's Attack Up ability if you want to increase damage. My advice is to stick this skill on a Wizard early in the game and watch the mayhem he or she can cause!

Movement Abilities

The Wizard has no special movement abilities.

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