Ability Points

Ability Points, often shortened to AP or ABP, but also called Action Points, Magic AP, Magic Points, License Points, Crystogen Points and Job Points, 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 battles unless they are in the final dungeon or in a special area where Ability Points are plentiful.
==Appearances==
===Final Fantasy II===
Although they are not named as such, the game does feature a precursor to Ability Points. Whenever a character improves their proficiency at a specific spell or weapon type during battle, it increases a counter located next to the level of said spell or weapon type in the menu (this counter is replaced by a gauge in the Game Boy Advance version onwards). When the counter reaches 100 (or when the gauge is filled), the spell or weapon type's level goes up by 1, to a maximum of 16.
===Final Fantasy III===
Every character has a hidden stat, called Job Points (JP), that dictates their job's level growth. When JP is accumulated to 100, the current job level goes up by 1. Every action or turn a character takes in a battle, except for Front, Rear, Run Away, and Flee, will contribute a fixed amount of job points to the character.
The character must perform an action during battle to be rewarded with JP; simply selecting an action and not performing it before the end of the battle will not reward the character with JP for those actions. However, the action does not need to be successful for it to award JP (i.e. using a 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). Characters who are KO'd or petrified at the end of a battle will not be awarded any JP, and if the party successfully runs away or flees from battle, no one will receive JP. The JP cap per battle is 199, so only one level up per battle is possible. However, the extra JP gained during a battle will carry over to the next one, meaning it is possible to start a battle with 99 JP "in store" and gain a new level after performing only one action.
The amount of JP gained per job:
Job 	Job Level 1-14	Job Level 14+
Freelancer 	20 	20
Warrior 	20 	14
Monk 	20 	14
White Mage 	20 	10
Black Mage 	20 	10
Red Mage 	20 	12
Thief 	20 	18
Ranger 	20 	14
Knight 	20 	12
Scholar 	24 	24
Geomancer 	20 	14
Viking 	20 	14
Dragoon 	20 	16
Dark Knight 	20 	14
Evoker 	20 	10
Bard 	20 	18
Black Belt 	20 	14
Magus 	20 	10
Devout 	20 	10
Sage 	20 	10
Summoner 	20 	12
Ninja 	20 	12
Onion Knight	20 	8
===Final Fantasy V===
ABP is used to level up the current job class. The character learns either a command or a support ability, which they can then use while using other jobs. Enemies in the Interdimensional Rift yield enormous ABP, making it easy to master jobs at the end of the game.
===Final Fantasy VI===
Magic AP (originally Magic Points) is used to learn spells from espers. Each Magic AP gives a certain percentage of a spell to a character that has an esper equipped. After reaching 100%, they learn the spell permanently. Spell growth rate varies based on the esper through which that spell is learned, and spell learning progress is retained across different espers.
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, but can mimic the magic on the current party.
Characters who can earn Magic AP in battle can dispel the curse on the Cursed Shield. Since Gogo cannot learn magic nor equip espers, they cannot earn Magic AP. Theoretically, the same would happen to Umaro if he could equip shields. Guest characters cannot earn Magic AP.
AP earned from battles is coded into the enemy formation, not individual enemies.
Intangir is known for its high Magic AP yield, but is a tough enemy to defeat in the World of Balance.
===Final Fantasy VII===
AP is used to level up Materia to learn spells or abilities. Materia gain AP only if they are equipped to a character who is not knocked out at the end of a battle. AP is not divided over Materia, so the Materia gain more total AP if more Materia are equipped. When the Materia is mastered, a replica Materia at level 1 is born. The Missing Score's power (Barret's ultimate weapon) is increased by the amount of AP on the Materia it is holding. Magic Pots and Movers in the final dungeon yield the most AP as random encounters.
====Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-====
AP is an MP-like stat that allows Zack to perform basic blocking and dodging, and is also consumed by using special physical attacks and abilities with the appropriate command materia. The item Soma recovers lost AP, and is instantly recovered with an Elixir.
Zack's Materia level up in the Digital Mind Wave.
===Final Fantasy VII Remake===
AP is gained from felled enemies. The materia equipped to the alive character(s) when an enemy is defeated gain the AP, allowing the materia to level up once enough AP has been accumulated. Pairing a materia with the gains double the normal AP. In new game plus, enemies give more AP than before.
In "Episode INTERmission", the player has more abilities to improve AP gain. Yuffie's weapons have passives that boost AP-gain for both her and Sonon by simply doubling the amount of AP that dying enemies drop. The episode also has AP-boosting armor pieces.
SP is a different type of ability point used for upgrading weapons.
====Final Fantasy VII Rebirth====
AP works the same as in Remake: gained from felled enemies and given to equipped materia. Materia paired with AP Up get double AP. The player can also level up materia without AP with Level Up Materia.
SP is a different type of ability point used for upgrading weapons.
===Final Fantasy VIII===
Guardian Forces gain AP from battles and learn abilities. The GF needs to be equipped to a party member to gain AP, and every equipped GF gets the same amount of AP. Cactuars yield plentiful AP when encountered on the Kashkabald Desert in Centra continent.
===Final Fantasy IX===
AP is 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, apart from Eiko with Guardian Mog equipped.
The friendly monsters always give good AP yields, and the final friendly monster, the Yan, can be defeated repeatedly in battle to net 50 AP every time without locking the player out of completing the quest; however, challenging the Friendly Yan over appeasing it may actually be the toughest battle in the game.
===Final Fantasy X===
AP replaces the usual role of EXP. The Ability Points (AP) gained 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 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 will thereafter always 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 fewer clear spaces, but its layout is 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. 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 defended, 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 accessory, defeat an enemy, and use an item. For each of the mentioned actions taken, 1 AP is awarded. 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. Bosses may award as much as 40 AP.
===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 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. Job Points are spent on permanent enhancements for the character's job. 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===
thumb|220px|License menu.
License Points, abbreviated as LP, are gained by defeating enemies and are used to buy licenses on the License Board. Every party member gains the same LP, even when not taking part in battle, or even when not present in the party at all. If an enemy kills itself with confusion, it will not drop any items or give EXP or LP.
To wield, wear, or master almost anything, a license must first be bought. After buying the license, one will become able to wield the weapon, wear the armor piece 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 Esper to be able to summon it. When one character has bought the summon license, it disappears from the other characters' License Board(s). In the original PlayStation 2 version, this also applies for Quickenings. In the Zodiac versions, once three Quickenings have been acquired, the final Quickening will disappear from that character's License Board(s).
The Cat-ear Hood will convert LP earned into gil. Golden Amulet doubles LP-gain for the wearer.
===Final Fantasy XIII===
EXP and AP are rolled into one as Crystogen Points (Crystal Points in Japanese). 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 the third chapter; battles won in Chapters 1 and 2 only yield item drops. Enemies that are summoned in battle or not defeated by the party will not reward CP. Even after mastering the Crystarium system, party members will continue 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 from the very beginning and can use them to gain new abilities and stat boosts in the Crystarium system. Paradigm Pack monsters do not gain CP, 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 XV===
The party earns AP for Ascension. Defeating enemies with warp-strikes, parries, or linked attacks as Noctis will yield 1 AP. Completing the strategy prompts the player's party members assign to Noctis at the beginning of a random enemy encounter awards 20 AP after patch 1.21 (as opposed to the 1 or 2 AP doing them used to yield before). Warp-striking a target to initiate a cross chain will grant 1 AP, even if the target perishes from the warp-strike.
When playing as Gladiolus via character-swapping, defeating enemies with Glaive Arts earns AP. When playing as Ignis, defeating enemies with High Jump or Total Clarity skills will earn AP. When playing as Prompto, defeating enemies with crackshots will do so.
When a party member levels up, 3 AP will be awarded. Certain quests may also award additional AP based on their difficulty. Camping will give AP, so long as a different campsite is visited from the last. Completing training sessions at havens for the first time will yield 5 AP. Completing Tour quests at certain havens will reward 20 AP.
The free Holiday Pass gives players access to the Warrior's Fanfare accessory, which yields 1 AP for finishing a battle with an A+ ranking in offense. Season pass holders have access to the Tactician's Fanfare, which yields 4 AP for obtaining an A+ ranking in Finesse and the Blitzer's Fanfare, which yields 2 AP for an A+ ranking in timing.
Though it takes over 18,000 AP to max out the Ascension grid, the player can also unlock various abilities that reward AP for doing things other than battling monsters:
*Angler Action gains 1 AP for catching fish.
*Sportfishing gains extra AP for catching big fish (each species has its own value).
*Appetize gains 1 AP from cooking a party member's favorite food.
*Chocobump gains 1 AP for every 0.875 miles traveled by chocobo.
*Chocojockey gains 1 AP from winning a chocobo race.
*Happy Camping increases AP gained from camping to 2.
*Happier Camping increases AP gained from camping to 3.
*Roadrunning gains 1 AP every 1.25 miles traveled by car.
*Aperture gains 1 AP for a critical Snapshot.
====AP grinding tricks====
After learning the ability to gain AP from driving, the player can gain passive AP by setting the Regalia to drive in circles by pinning down the controller and letting the game run. This method requires the player to have acquired and equipped the Magitek Generator, which is won from Totomostro, or obtain the Regalia Type-F, both of which will allow the Regalia to drive endlessly without the need to refuel. It also helps to have the Turbocharger, which is also won from Totomostro and allows the Regalia to drive up to 70 mph, since an AP is gained for every 1.25 mile driven.
In the Windows and Royal Editions, the new rulers of yore bosses yield 300 AP, and can be killed repeatedly by returning to the final boss gauntlet from a game cleared save. Fighting the kings is past the point of no return however, and the player will have to beat the game again. When skipping all the scenes, doing this can still be a viable way to gain AP for the postgame.
The player can use the beast whistle to continually summon sabertusks, but after a certain patch they tend to spawn slower. In patch v1.06, the Timed Quest can be used for AP-farming in a similar manner, by holding the warp button and killing the beasts quickly with warp-strikes or Gladiolus's Glaive Arts. This is possible because Timed Quest in patch v1.06 spawns as many monsters as possible within a given time limit; the player can get a torrent of sabertusks and flexitusks in a short period (e.g. more than 350 targets in a 10 minute period). In patch v1.20 the Timed Quest becomes offline-based and caps the limit of the targets to 50 and typically cannot be completed in under 10 minutes; hence, the quest no longer offers a good return on investment. Instead, fighting a group of sabertusks in normal battles repeatedly using the beast whistle while equipping the Warrior's Fanfare, the Blitzer's Fanfare, and attacking with the Shield of the Just earns more AP with less effort in the same amount of time (around 95~100 AP for about 10 minutes of gameplay). The player can also use the other Timed Quests for farming, and convert 700 QP earned from the quests into 300 AP. The player can manipulate the console's clock to get a desirable Timed Quest.
====King's Knight -Wrath of the Dark Dragon-====
AP may be awarded with certain enemies shot. AP are primarily used to master the various skills available to each unit when combined with the elemental orbs obtained in each quest. Because the amounts are generally small, it may be wise to boost AP totals when needed with an Arcane or Divine Hourglass prior to starting a quest.
===Final Fantasy XVI===
Ability points are used to expand Clive Rosfield's Eikonic abilities, with Eikons unlocking as Clive absorbs them from their Dominant. Purchases may be refunded in full at any time.
===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 doubled with the use of an Insignia.
;Common missions' AP awards
*All Clan Engagements - 50 AP
*All Turf Liberations (battle while under attack) - 80 AP
*All Turf Liberations (dispatch after losing turf) - 50 AP (more for Jagds)
*#205 Materite - 30 AP
*#207 Metal Hunt - 30 AP
===Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift===
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:
*All Normal Quests (Non-Battle) - 10 AP
*All Normal Quests (Battle) - 30 AP
*All Storyline Quests - 80AP
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.
===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====
Ability Points are used to master abilities and are gained by winning battles. Mastering abilities lowers the CP cost allowing the character to equip more abilities. The amount gained can be altered through 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.
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Category:Recurring stats
Category:Character growth systems