Charge Time Charge Time , sometimes abbreviated as CT , is the measure of time of how long certain abilities take to be performed . Appearances . " Final Fantasy IV " . In the PSP release , the charge time can be seen by the green bar overlapping the full yellow ATB bar when a character charges for a spell or ability . In the " Easy Type " version , the majority of the casting times for spells were reduced from their original casting time , making these spells faster to cast . " Final Fantasy IV - Interlude - " . Much like its predecessor , it functions the same way . Just like the original , its appearance and function is the same as the previous two entries . " Final Fantasy VI " . When using Cyan ' s special command , the player must wait for a bar to charge . The longer the player charges , the better attack they can execute . In the smartphone release the player can choose the power of the attack outright and Cyan will charge it in the background allowing other attacks to be performed meanwhile . " Final Fantasy VIII " . Although not called " Charge Time " , summoning a Guardian Force takes a moment to charge , similar to Charge Time in later games . The better the compatibility between the summoner and the GF , the faster the charge will be . After the GF command has been selected , the chosen GF ' s HP replaces the summoner ' s , and any damage the character receives during the charge is attributed to the GF , not the summoner . If the GF ' s HP is depleted to 0 during the charge period , the summon is cancelled . This can also be used for strategic advantage , to summon a GF before an opponent unleashes a strong attack , in order to sacrifice the GF to survive the attack . " Final Fantasy X - 2 " . The regular Attack command requires no Charge Time , but using most other abilities does . After a character ' s ATB bar has filled and a new command is selected , a purple " wait " time - bar will replace the green ATB bar , signifying the attack is charging . Once the purple bar has filled , the character will execute the action . Once executed , the character gets another turn immediately . Each ability has its own Charge Time , and the best skills have the longest waiting times . The Charge Time of specific skillsets can be shortened by using special equipment , mastering specific abilities with that purpose on the skillsets ' respective jobs and through Garment Grid s . Special dresspheres have Limit Break - like abilities which takes full " charge " of the ATB gauge , which is possibly alluded in " Final Fantasy XIII " and " XIII - 2 " by Full ATB skill s . " Final Fantasy XI " . Ranged attacks , spells , Trust Magic , Weapon Skill s , and using items all have a time during which they are being cast or readied before taking effect . Moving during this time , whether voluntarily or involuntarily , will interrupt the effect being cast or readied . Ranged weapons have a weapon Delay stat that determines the length of the readying time for a ranged attack . The effects of the Flurry spells reduce ranged weapon delay , and the Snapshot trait gives a chance of skipping this delay entirely . Delay varies considerably from weapon to weapon , but in general crossbows are the fastest , followed by bows , corsair guns such as hexaguns , long guns , and finally slowest of all cannons . Spells have their own individual cast times which are reduced by the Fast Cast trait . Taking damage during this time has a chance to interrupt spells being cast unless they are Bard songs , with this Spell Interruption Rate being modified by equipment stats , status effects , merits , the amount of damage taken , and the character ' s skill level in the appropriate magic type . Casting time can be cut by using the Scholar stratagems Alacrity or Celerity . Casting time can also be removed entirely by the effects of the Red Mage job abilities Chainspell and Spontaneity . On the other hand , the effects of Addle and Pining Nocturne lengthen casting time , and the Manifestation and Accession stratagems double the casting time of the spell that they are applied to as a balancing cost to their effects . Weapon skills have their own individual readying times which are usually quite short . However , if they are interrupted during this time , the Tactical Points used by the weapon skill will be lost for no effect . Weapon skill readying times are not shortened by any trait or effect . Monster TP - based abilities work like weapon skills , although some of them have quite long charge times . Items have their own individual readying times which are not shortened by any trait or effect . " Final Fantasy XII " . All actions have a Charge Time , which varies depending on the action . When a character performs an action , a bar next to their name in the battle menu fills up . This is known as the Charge Time , and after the bar has filled , the character will perform their action , whereupon the word " action " appears on the screen . An action ' s " action time " is always the same , but the Charge Time can be reduced via the Swiftness Augments purchased on the License Board , buffs like Haste , and setting the Battle Speed setting to the fastest . Magnetize is a battle condition in the battle against Vinuskar in the Stilshrine of Miriam , and Ultima in the Great Crystal , where all metallic equipment slows down the wearer , and even spells take longer to cast . If the party equip any swords , hammers , axes , and the like , they could take three times as much Charge Time to dish out a single attack . Curiously , guns are unaffected . Most stronger enemies , including bosses , have 0 Charge Time as their passive ability . Against these enemies the player is best setting the Battle Speed to the fastest , as playing with slow Battle Speeds only hurts the player . When wearing the Battle Harness , the character only Counterattacks if they are attacked during the Charge Time stage , and countering halts the Charge Time bar for the duration of the counterattack . There are quite a few factors involved calculating the actual Charge Time : Charge Time Factor ( CT ) . All actions have a Charge Time Factor ( CT ) . Each type of weapon comes with a standard CT . The Charge Time Factor is directly proportionate to the actual charge time , so the tables below can be used to compare the speed of using different weapons . Using item s , performing Quickenings and summoning an Esper have no Charge Time . Magicks ' Charge Time Factor is " always " 30 , no matter which spell is being cast , however , their Effect Capacity varies and when casting the most powerful of magicks no one else can act while a character is casting a spell , making using the most powerful spells much slower than using other actions . In the " International Zodiac Job System " version , the Charge Time Factor is always 23 . Character ' s Speed Modifier ( CS - MOD ) . Character ' s Speed Modifier is determined by the character ' s Speed stat . However , the effect on the actual Charge Time is only obvious when Speed is low ( below 46 ) and the bonus becomes smaller and smaller as Speed increases . The highest possible Speed of 99 only makes charging 21 % faster compared to the lowest possible Speed of 23 . License " Swiftness " Modifier ( L - MOD ) . Each " Swiftness " License results in a 12 % reduction in the Swiftness Modifier ( L - MOD ) up to a total of 36 % reduction when all three have been bought . This differs slightly from the in - game description which states a " 10 % " reduction . Battle Speed Modifier ( B - MOD ) . One can choose between six battle speeds . A fast Battle Speed ( low B - MOD ) reduces Charge Time while the Action Time stays the same . This means that by setting the Battle Speed fast one can reduce the relative disadvantage of actions with long CTs , as the action stage stays the same . However , when the characters are fleeing , setting the Battle Speed to minimum makes the enemies get their turns slower , but the party will still keep running away at the same pace . Status Modifier ( ST - MOD ) . Various status effect es affect the Charge Time speed . The statuses can also be stacked . Metallic Modifier . The severity of the penalty is calculated using a modifier based on the total metal value of equipment worn by all party members . " Final Fantasy XIV " . Almost every spell has a certain charge time , displayed on its description . Using spells on a different class incurs an increase of roughly 50 % on the cast time . While charging a spell , players cannot move or the spell is cancelled ; selecting the spell again also cancels it . If a player is hit during the charge time , there ' s a chance for it to be cancelled , with no MP loss . Charging may also be cancelled by losing line of sight to the target while casting or by being stunned , petrified , silenced , put to sleep , paralyzed ( MP is wasted if the spell is cancelled this way ) or KO ' d . Certain spells such as Holy or Blizzara have no charge time and cannot be cancelled by any means , and the Thaumaturge spell Sanguine Rite prevents charge interruption from damage . Many monsters also have abilities that need time to charge up , as shown by a smaller gauge filling up near the monster ' s HP gauge . " Final Fantasy Tactics " . All battle units , most spells and abilities have a Charge Time which allows the battle units to reach their active turn or the command ability to commence when the Charge Time gauge is fulfilled at 100 CT ( while direct attack and other skills do not require charging time ) . Statistic Speed determines how fast the CT gauge to be fulfilled . For instance , when there are two battle units in the field , unit A has the Speed of 10 and B ' s is 5 , unit A requires 100 ÷ 10 = 10 units of timespan to fulfill the CT gauge , while B spends 20 units , so A will act earlier than B and able to act twice between B ' s active turns . After the unit takes a turn , its CT will be decremented depending on whether it has moved and / or acted . A unit that both moved and acted will have its CT reduced by 100 ; a unit that moved or acted but did not do both will have its CT reduced by 80 ; a unit that did not move or act will have its CT reduced by 60 . In any event , the leftover CT is then capped at 60 , and the unit ' s CT gauge will begin charging anew . While initiating the command ability that requires charging , an independent and hidden CT gauge will start charging based on the Speed of the ability itself . Except for Jump , The Speed of the ability user , as well as under the status effect Haste or Slow has no effect on the charging speed of the ability . However , Stop does halt the charging of the ability until the effect wears off from its user . If the Speed of the ability is lower than the user ' s so that the ability is not commenced before the user reaches its next active turn , player will need to choose the command " Wait " to continue the charging progress , otherwise initiating another command ability will cancel the previous charging ability . Except for performing Jump attack , charging an ability will make the user unable to dodge and take roughly 50 % extra damage from physical attacks . Certain spells , such as Haste , have the ability to increase a unit ' s Speed , thus fulfilling the CT gauge earlier , while other spells , like Quick , instantly fill up a character ' s CT gauge . The Support Ability Short Charge cuts down CT of all magicks significantly . There is also the dummied out ability called CT 0 . When equipped , it removes the charge time from every abilities . This ability appears more to be a debug tool than an ability intended to be in the game . CT is also a special command ability of Arithmetician which allows the character to target magick based on the units ' current CT gauge . This is useful to target most ( if not all ) of the units in the battlefield with Magick . CT represents where in the Turn Order the unit is . Haste will decrease the time between turns , whereas Slow will increase it . Units with higher Speed will have more frequent turns , while units with lower Speed will have less frequent turns . Certain enemy abilities such as Illua ' s Time Blade ability and the Lamia ' s Slap has the special effect " CT 0 " which will completely drain the target ' s CT , thus placing them at the bottom of the turn order . " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . There are no separate - ra / ga spells and charge time represents focusing magic from level one to two and three by holding the relevant button while also evading attacks as necessary . Some higher - tier magic , such as the elemental - ROK and ROK - II and defensive magic , like Cure and Protect , require an initial charge time before the level one magic can be cast . Cast time can be reduced in the Altocrystarium by spending accrued phantoma , usually with the effect of increasing MP cost . Some unique character abilities have a start up time before they hit during which they are vulnerable to enemy attacks . In some cases , an auto - ability can be purchased using AP that prevents flinching during the skill . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Every action , except Defend and Quick Hit , has a charge time before the action is executed . Some actions , like Aim , take shorter time to execute , while others may take longer time . The charge time is indicated by the red bar overlapping the full orange bar .