Break (Final Fantasy V)

Break is a Black Magic spell in Final Fantasy V. It inflicts the petrify status effect on one target. If successful, an enemy that is petrified simply dies. The spell can be used as a Black Magic spell, or as a Spellblade. It is one of the spells that can be cast for free by Wonder Wand.
Break is also an enemy ability that can be used by Carbuncle, Black Warlock, Flaremancer, and Objet d'Art.
==Obtained==
Break can be purchased for 3000 gil at Regole, Castle of Bal, Surgate Castle, or Quelb. Regole is the earliest place Break can be obtained. Once it is purchased, it can be used by any of the skillsets with the spell.
The player can use Break by catching and releasing an Undead Husk, Ra Mage, or Objet d'Art. This way, the player can get access to the spell much earlier than with the Black Magic skillset, as soon as they have a Beastmaster from the Fire Crystal and can make their way to the Ship Graveyard where Undead Husks appear.
==Mechanics==
Break has a variable hit rate with Black Magic, and 100% hit rate with Spellblade.
:Spell Hit\% = 75 + Attacker Level - Target Level
:Evade\% = Target Magic Evade\%
If the target has shell, the Spell Hit% is halved. If the target is a toad its Evade % is reduced to 0.
The game generates two random numbers between 0 and 99.
:If N1 >= Hit%, the spell misses
:If N2 < Evade%, the spell misses
==Use==
The Break spell attempts to petrify an enemy. If successful, it kills the target. The main drawback is that many tougher enemies are immune to petrify and that Break is not always successful unless used via Spellblade. This means that casting Break can either be very effective, or just a waste of a turn and of MP. Most enemies vulnerable to petrify are common enemies that are easily enough dispatched via other methods, and appear in groups where spells that can be group-cast have the edge.
As a Spellblade, Break is slightly more useful. When imbued to a weapon, all attacks from the weapon will petrify an enemy as long as the attack hits and the enemy does not resist the status, even if the attack did 0 damage. Coupled with Aim, Rapid Fire, Jump, or Sword Dance ensures the attack will connect. This may still not be worth the MP used for a potentially ineffective attack, but is more turn-efficient than the spell.
Notably, Odin can be defeated with Break.
An alternative to using Break are any instant death moves, and the Catoblepas summon. Catoblepas has higher hit chance, but costs over double as much MP as Break.
;Susceptible enemies
*Goblin
*Steel Bat
*Devil Crab
*Stroper
*Nutkin
*Black Goblin
*White Serpent
*Moldwynd
*Mani Wizard
*Gatling
*Big Horn
*Tatou
*Garula
*Rock Slug
*Gaelicat
*Cockatrice
*Elf Toad(Metamorph)
*Ricard Made(has reflect)
*Wyvern(Metamorph)
*Zu
*Grass Tortoise
*Crew Dust(Metamorph)
*Bomb
*Bio Soldier (Zephyrus)
*Prototype
*Skull Eater
*Dhorme Chimera
*Sandboil
*Desert Killer
*Sand Bear
*Ronkan Knight(Zephyrus)
*Enchanted Fan(Metamorph)
*Pao
*Tarantula
*Shell Bear
*Devilfish
*Treant
*Tunneller
*Birostris
*Fairy Orc
*Devourer
*Mandrake
*Kuza Beast(world map)
*Blood Slime
*Acrophies
*Moogle Eater
*Lesser Lopros
*Cactus
*Sandcrawler
*Aquathorn
*Weresnake
*Kornago
*Cursed Being
*Undergrounder
*Drippy
*Lycaon
*Bone Dragon
*Poison Eagle
*Zombie Dragon
*Gobbledygook
*Neon
*Magnetite
*Reflect Knight(has inherent reflect)
*Traveler
*Level Tricker
*Gravitator
*Ziggurat Gigas
*Dark Aspic
*Cure Beast
*Land Turtle
*Mini Magician
*Mammon
*Wyrm
*Twin Lizard
*Blind Wolf
*Hellraiser
*Reflect Mage(has inherent reflect)
*Magic Dragon
*Black Warlock
*Bandercoeurl
*Iron Fist
*Blue Dragon
*Sleepy
*Triffid
*Hedgehog
*Python
*Shadow
*Elm Gigas
*Desertpede
*Bulette
*Lamia Queen
*Rajiformes
*Mummy
*Aspis
*Slug
*Gloom Widow
*Mykale
*Executor
*Oiseaurare
*Shadow Dancer
*Numb Blade
*Tiny Mage
*Flaremancer
*Unknown (Blob, Slime)
*Frost Bull
*Istory Lythos
*Spizzner
*Druid
*Ironback
*Mercury Bat
*Coral
*Steel Fist
*Ankheg
*Ammonite
*Lemure
*Parthenope
*Cherie
*Sahagin
*Thunder Anemone
*Sea Ibis
*Nix
*Water Scorpion
*Vilia
*Gel Fish
*Rukh
*Sea Devil
*Grenade
*Baldanders
*Death Dealer
*Level Checker
*White Flame
*Moss Fungus
*Farfarello
*Orukat
*Great Dragon
*Achelon
*Ninja
*Dragon Aevis
*Sword Dancer
*Fury
*Yojimbo
*Iron Giant
*King Behemoth
*Necromancer
*Gorgimera
*Mindflayer
*Crystelle
*Belphegor
*Medusa
*Pantera
*Enkidu (boss)
*Dragon Flower (boss)
*Carbuncle(boss; healing form)
*Gargoyle (boss)
*Odin (boss)
*Triton (boss)
*Nereid (boss)
*Phobos (boss)
*Barrier (boss)
*Neo Exdeath (boss; middle section only)
Some further enemies susceptible to petrify are only found in Bartz's world, before the Break spell is available in a normal playthrough. The player could still use Break on them via Beastmaster's Release with a monster that uses Break.
==Gallery==
Break-FFVA.png|Black Magic (GBA).
FFV iOS Break.png|Black Magic (2013).
Break Blade from FFV Advance.png|Spellblade (GBA).
==Notes==
Category:Black Magic in Final Fantasy V