Ability Points Ability Points , often shortened to AP or ABP , but also called Magic AP , Magic Points , Job Points or JP for short , are a system created by Hiroyuki Ito and used to learn abilities . They are usually gained from battles . Generally , the player will not get very many Ability Points from battle unless they are in the final dungeon or in a special area where Ability Points are plentiful . Appearances . " Final Fantasy III " . Every character has a hidden stat ( Job Points ) that dictates their job ' s level growth . When JP is accumulated to 99 , the current job level goes up by 1 . Every action ( turn ) the character ( s ) take in a battle , except for Front , Rear , Run , and Flee , will contribute a fixed amount of job points to the character ( s ) . The character ( s ) must perform an action during battle to be rewarded with JP ; simply selecting an action and not performing it before the end of battle will not reward those character ( s ) with JP for those inputted actions . However , the action does not need to be successful for it to award JP ( i . e . Using status inflicting spell on an enemy regardless of whether the status has been inflicted or not , stealing unsuccessfully or , doing 0 damage will still award JP ) . Also , only one level up can occur per battle even though the JP cap per battle is 199 . The left side being how much that job earns for character ' s current job is under level 14 when performing an action . The right side being how much they earn for jobs currently after level 15 when performing an action . The amount of JP gain per job are as follow : " Final Fantasy V " . Known as ABP , these are used to level up the current job class . The character learns either a Command or a Support ability , which they can then use while utilizing other jobs . " Final Fantasy VI " . Called Magic AP ( originally Magic Points ) ; used to learn spells from espers . Each Magic AP gives a certain percentage of spell to character that has an esper equipped . After reaching 100 % , they learn the spell permanently . Every spell has a different growth rate . Magic AP is also used in Terra ' s Trance . The more Magic AP she has , the longer her Trance gauge lasts . Gogo cannot equip espers . Instead , s / he can mimic all the magic on the current party s / he is on . Characters that can earn Magic AP in battle are the only ones who can dispel the curse on the Cursed Shield . Since Gogo cannot learn magic nor equip espers , s / he cannot earn Magic AP in battle . Theoretically , the same would happen to Umaro if he could equip shields . All guest characters cannot earn any Magic AP . AP earned from battles is coded into the encounter , not the enemy . " Final Fantasy VII " . AP is used to increase the level of Materia . This allows the Materia to have more spells , or abilities . When the Materia is Mastered , a replica Materia at level 1 will be created . Barret ' s ultimate weapon , the Missing Score ' s power is increased by the amount of AP on the Materia it is holding . " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " . AP is instead an MP - like stat that allows Zack to perform basic blocking and dodging , and also consumed by using special physical attacks and abilities with the appropriate Command Materia . The item Soma is used to recover lost AP , and is instantly recovered with an Elixir . " Final Fantasy VIII " . AP is used to make Guardian Force s learn abilities . " Final Fantasy IX " . Used to learn abilities embedded in equipped equipment . If a character equips several items which teach the same ability , AP growth is increased for that particular ability . Equipping the Ability Up support ability doubles the AP earned . At the end of the battle , characters that are KO ' d or afflicted with the Virus status will not receive AP . " Final Fantasy X " . AP in this installment replaces the usual role of EXP . The Ability Points ( AP ) gained will allow the player to gain Sphere Levels , which are used to move around the Sphere Grid . Sphere levels equal the amount of steps each character can take on the Sphere Grid , similar to classic board games . The amount of AP needed to generate a S . LV progressively increases until the character has got 101 S . LV , and thereafter always will require 22 , 000 AP to generate a new S . LV . When starting a file two Sphere Grid modes are available and only one can be selected : ' Standard ' mode has strict , rarely - diverging routes for each character , but bears more clear nodes ( which can be filled with attribute slots later through use of special spheres ) . ' Expert ' mode has less clear spaces , but its layout is considerably less strict , allowing characters to diverge from their traditional routes from the beginning . Each step taken on the Sphere Grid to a new node deducts a single Sphere Level from their total levels , and one level can be expended to move backwards by up to four nodes which have already been crossed . ' Spheres ' can be used to activate nodes on the characters ' current position or adjacent nodes , most of which raise a certain attribute or teach an ability , but some of which are blank . Each character has a general path which they are expected to follow but these routes have many branching point , allowing the player to customize characters to their liking , for the most part . Development is limited by the presence of locked nodes , which require a rare ' Key Sphere ' of a certain level to open : these range from levels 1 to 4 and generally , higher numbers equal rarer spheres which become available at a later point in the story . Characters that do nothing in battle gain no AP . Similarly , if one swaps characters out during a battle , all characters that took action , even skipped their turn by the press of the , will gain AP . AP is not split between party members , so no matter how many participants perform actions in any single battle , all will obtain the same value of AP upon victory . Certain equipment modifications can change the behavior of AP gain , such as Overdrive → AP which speeds up AP gain based on that character ' s Overdrive setting while reducing Overdrive gain to 0 . This can be used in conjunction with the abilities Double AP / Triple AP and Double Overdrive / Triple Overdrive to farm massive amounts of AP from specific enemies such as Don Tonberry and the Cactuar King in a short amount of time . " Final Fantasy X - 2 " . There are four ways to gain AP used to learn the abilities of the equipped dressphere ; Perform a special action unique to a dressphere , use an ability equipped on a Garment Grid or an accessory , defeat an enemy , and use an item . For each of the mentioned actions taken , 1 AP is awarded . However , the action must have an effect ( i . e . Cure must restore HP , Poison must poison the enemy , etc ) . AP is capped at 99 per battle . Defeated enemies award 1 AP for all party members , not just the one who defeated it . Oversouled enemies award 2 AP each . " Final Fantasy XI " . Characters who have reached level 99 in their job may continue to advance by earning Job Points . Job Points are acquired by earning Capacity Points ( a deliberate reference to the original version of " Final Fantasy III " ) , which are acquired by defeating high level monsters while in that particular job ( each job has its own Capacity Point and Job Point totals ) . 30000 Capacity Points earns one Job Point . Like Merit Points , Job Points are spent on permanent enhancements for the character ' s job . Unlike Merit Points , there is no cap on how many such enhancements may be purchased . In fact , at specific totals of Job Points spent , the job gains additional permanent enhancements known as Gifts . Once a total of 2100 Job Points have been spent , the character masters the job . " Final Fantasy XII " . License Points , abbreviated LP , are points gained by defeating enemies and are used to buy licenses . To wield , wear or master anything , a license must first be bought . After buying the license , one will become able to wield the weapon , wear the armor / hat / helm or master the Magick or Technick that the license was for , granted that the specific item has been bought as well . One must likewise buy the license of Ssmmons , to be able to summon a creature . However , when one character has bought the summon license , s / he will be the only one with the license to that summon , as it disappears completely from the License Board of the other characters . The same goes for Quickenings . " Final Fantasy XIII " . " Final Fantasy XIII " doesn ' t have separate EXP and AP points , but , rather , the two are rolled into one with the use of Crystogen Points ( known as Crystal Points in the Japanese version ) . CP is gained by winning battles and used to increase character attributes and to learn new abilities in Crystarium system . The maximum amount of CP a character can hold is 999 , 999 . Crystogen Points are gained from all battles , boss and regular battles alike , but the party will not gain any CP before they become l ' Cie in the third chapter ; battles won in chapters one and two just gain item drops . Even after mastering the Crystarium system party members keep gaining CP from battles . Equipping the Growth Egg obtained in Mission 55 will double CP gained from enemies . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Serah and Noel gain CP from battles since the beginning and can use them to gain new abilities and stat boosts in the Crystarium system . Paradigm Pack monsters do not gain CP from battles , but must be given items to advance them through their Crystaria . Lightning , who is playable in the prologue , will not gain CP from her battles , but if she is obtained as a Paradigm Pack monster , she can be advanced in the Crystarium system similar to other Paradigm Pack monsters . " Final Fantasy Tactics " . A unit earns Job Points when performing actions . Other units with access to the same job also earn Job Points ( referred to as spillover JP ) . Earning JP can be enhanced with the Gained JP Up support ability and Move - Get JP movement ability , as well with further level ups and job level ups . JP are also gained from completing propositions . With JP , the player is able to access new skills and spells for the unit , as well unlocking new jobs when meeting the proper job level requirements . In the original PS version , there is a JP scroll glitch that lets the player get 9 , 999 JP without effort . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " . Ability Points are gained from successfully completing missions . Unlike Experience Points , Ability Points are credited towards any unmastered abilities a unit is trying to learn . The amount of Ability Points vary from mission to mission , and can be double with the use of an Insignia , or quadrupled with two . Common Missions ' AP Awards . Ability Points are gained from successfully completing quests . Unlike Experience Points , Ability Points are credited towards any ( if any ) unmastered abilities a unit is trying to learn . Common Quests ' AP Awards . The amount of AP received per quest can be boosted by the Clan Privilege AP↑1 / 2 / 3 , which boosts AP gained from a quest by 20 / 40 / 60 respectively . However , if the law is broken during the battle , the increase will be annulled . The AP from non - battle quests cannot be boosted as clan privileges are not granted . " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . Agito Points ( AP ) are earned by characters and Eidolons at level up to learn new abilities . The amount earned per level is fixed , but there is enough AP to ensure all abilities are learned before or at the max level of 99 . " Bravely Default " . Job Points ( JP ) are earned from enemies and are needed to level up the characters ' job level , similar to " Final Fantasy V " . By completing certain conditions in battle , players will receive bonuses : " Final Fantasy Dimensions " . AP is used to level up a character ' s job and can be obtained by defeating enemies . The scale of AP needed to level up is different for each job , but is the same for all characters respectively . Each level up will sometimes acquire the character an ability that can be equipped with any other job once it is learned . " Dissidia Final Fantasy " . Ability Points are used to master abilities and are gained by winning a battle . Mastering abilities will lower their CP cost allowing the character to equip more abilities . The amount of Ability Points acquired after battle can be manipulated by AP Chances , which when triggered will add an additional 2 Ability Points to the total AP gained , as well as calendar bonuses . Certain equipment such as the Diamond equipment can increase bonuses even further . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . The AP system is virtually the same as " Dissidia " . The only difference is the AP Chance , which varies from battle to battle . The character can gain from one to three AP from the AP chance ; the more AP that must be gained , the higher HP damage must be dealt . To meet the AP chance the player must not take any single hit ( BRV / HP ) from the opponent before executing the HP damage .