Balance (Final Fantasy XII)

Balance is a Time Magick spell both in the Zodiac versions of Final Fantasy XII as well as in the original PlayStation 2 version. It is a multi-target fixed damage spell whose damage is the difference between the caster's maximum HP and their current HP.
The only enemy that uses Balance against the player is the Feral Retriever.
The player can also use the spell via the consumable item Balance Mote.
==Obtained==
Balance's license costs 40 License Points in the Zodiac versions, where the spell is found in Nam-Yensa Sandsea's Demesne of the Sandqueen. The treasure for Balance is is on a dead-end pier in the northwestern side of the area.
In the original version, Balance's license costs 35 LP. It is bought for 1500 gil from Dyce outside the Tomb of Raithwall and from Rabanastre after Belias has been defeated.
In the Zodiac versions, Balance is used by the Time Battlemage and the Red Battlemage, as well as by Larsa (Lamont) when he is in the party as a guest if the player has no Time Magicks at all by the time he joins. In the original version, Vossler is the first character who can use it, when he joins as a guest for the sandseas and the Tomb of Raithwall.
==Mechanics==
Balance deals the difference between the caster's maximum HP and their current HP as damage to all foes in range. The range of the spell was extended in the Zodiac versions. The allies' HP exceeds 9999 even if that is the maximum displayed on the user interface, meaning Balance can "break the damage limit" even in the original version where damage is usually capped at 9999.
The base success rate of Balance is 70% in the original version, updated to 100% in the Zodiac versions.
:Success~Rate = Base~Rate + (User's~Magick~Power - Target's~Vitality) \%
The success rate is unaffected by the target's Magick Evade stat, as the spell instead checks against the target's Vitality.
The hit rate is improved by further 50% with the caster having Faith status, or doubled with Serenity license/Magick Gloves when on full health, or Spellbreaker license/Leather Gorget when in critical health. Target's Shell halves the accuracy of the spell. If the caster is wearing the Indigo Pendant, Balance will succeed unless the enemy is immune to the status.
The accuracy underflow bug is a glitch in some versions of Final Fantasy XII where a low level character with extremely low Magick Power stat attempts to use a status move on a target with very high Vitality, and the accuracy of the spell becomes less than zero. In this case the accuracy will underflow to 100%, allowing certain status spells to always succeed. Though Balance is not a status spell, it uses the same success chance formula as ailment spells do. However, the spell missing is much less of a concern in the Zodiac versions where its base hit rate is 100%.
Balance costs 18 MP to cast without Channeling licenses. The spell will bounce from Reflect unless the caster wears the Opal Ring. This can be exploited by reflecting Balance off the player's own party to multi-cast it. Damaging enemies with Balance gains MP to the user if they have the Warmage license.
Balance can still do damage when certain enemies put up a paling (e.g. Trickster and The Undying).
==Use==
Balance is a fixed damage spell that is best used when the character is low on health and potentially with the Indigo Pendant equipped, at least for the original PlayStation 2 version where the base success rate is only 70%. Balance can be potent, especially in a New Game Minus playthrough in the Zodiac versions. Balance does not need a high Magick Power stat to be good and gains no boost from Faith status nor from conditional licenses.
To deal more damage with Balance, the player can raise the caster's maximum HP with Bubble and light armor gear, and get them to 1 HP by using Reverse and Renew on them. The player could also use Infuse. Disease would ruin the efficacy of Balance as it makes the character's current HP also be their maximum HP.
Balance can be good when there are many enemies around and the user is in low health. If they get K.O.'d, the player can revive them with a Phoenix Down to bring them back in relatively low health, ready to keep using Balance. Balance is also good if the enemy resists most forms of damage, such as against the Magick Pot who has not been given an Elixir or some flan, or the Trickster hunt, or the final boss with a paling.
In the original version Vossler has the spell as a guest, which he will use when he has critical HP, and also uses it in the Final Fantasy XII manga in a scene not seen in the game.
To keep the Balance-user safe from harm, the player can use Decoy to redirect the enemies' ire toward another character. The player can also give them Reflect to protect them from enemy spells, or even bestow Reflect to all of the party and then cast Balance on all allies at once to reflect it multiple times onto enemies, bombarding them with Balance.
As an alternative to using Balance, the player can do fixed damage with Gil Toss for a safer but more expensive outcome. The player could also summon Zeromus instead of using Balance, as it has a similar ability that deals damage based on the difference between its maximum and current HP, and Zeromus can achieve a higher HP than the party.
Category:Time Magicks in Final Fantasy XII