Decoy (Final Fantasy XII)

Decoy is a Green Magicks spell in the Zodiac versions of Final Fantasy XII, and an Arcane Magicks spell in the original PlayStation 2 version. It is a single-target status spell that briefly bestows the Lure status to a party member, drawing enemies' attention to that particular character.
==Obtained==
Decoy's license costs 40 License Points. In the Zodiac versions the spell is bought for 2000 gil from the Clan Provisioner in Rabanastre's Muthru Bazaar ever since the player first joins Clan Centurio.
In the original version, Decoy is bought for 2500 gil from Eruyt Village, Mt Bur-Omisace, and Rabanastre after defeating Judge Bergan.
In the Zodiac versions, Decoy can be used by the job classes White Mage, Red Battlemage, Time Battlemage, Black Mage, and Machinist, though the latter requires the Esper Exodus license to bridge to it.
==Mechanics==
Decoy attempts to briefly bestow the Lure status to one party member that overrides enemy AI, forcing them to attack the Lured target rather than altering the target's enmity. It works on any enemy, but Lure only draws the attention of enemies that are present when it is bestowed for the duration of the status. Lure affects enemies even if they are berserked. When the status runs out, the enemies will revert to their normal AI. Lure does not work if the Lured party member is not in the enemy's detection range. Multiple allies can have the Lure status at once.
Despite Lure being a positive status effect, the Decoy spell can be resisted by the target's Vitality stat and Shell status, and thus Decoy can miss. Lure is still removed with Dispel and not Esuna, and will not be removed when touching a save crystal. Lure and Stop cannot coexist on a party member, and Ribbons uniquely protect against Lure in the original version of the game.
The formula for the duration is:
:Duration = 20 + (Vitality \times 0.2) s
The duration depends on the receiver's Vitality stat, not the caster's. Lure has the second shortest duration of any status, after Reverse.
The base success rate of the spell against a target that is not immune (via Ribbon) is 60%.
:Success~Rate = 60 + (User's~Magick~Power - Target's~Vitality) \%
The hit rate is improved by further 50% with the caster having Faith status, and is 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, Decoy will succeed unless the target is immune to the status.
Decoy costs 10 MP to cast without Channeling licenses. The spell will bounce from Reflect in the original version unless the caster wears the Opal Ring. Decoy bypasses Reflect in the Zodiac versions.
==Use==
Decoy is a status spell the player can set up via the gambit system (such as with Self:targeted by foe→Decoy or Self: 2+ foes present→Decoy), however, setting up a perfect gambit for it is tricky, because the status is pointless if there are no enemies in range during the moment Decoy is cast, and it is best used on a specific, durable character, perhaps one with high evasion and Protect and Bubble, who will draw enemy attacks to themself, sparing others. (Many bosses have cinematic attacks that hit all of the player's party no matter where they are, however.) Lure also lasts but a brief moment. In the Zodiac versions, the most durable jobs (Knight, Uhlan) do not learn Decoy on their License Boards, where self-casting would be most easily automated with a gambit setup. In The Zodiac Age, the player can choose two boards per party member.
Rather than relying on gambits, the player may find it better to use Decoy manually just the right time to re-direct enemies to get the most out of the effect. When many enemies are appearing at once, such as against the swarm of Abysteels in the Henne Mines, or constantly spawning—like the undeads in Zertinan Caverns or in Roblon's lair in Nabreus Deadlands—the player may find that Lure does not work so well to draw the enemies' attention as it only affects the enemies in range at the precise moment of casting the spell; any enemies that appear after casting it are unaffected.
Decoy is often useful when paired with Reverse on the same party member, so that the enemies who focus on a certain character will not hurt them. Battle Harness is a potentially good accessory for a decoy as well, allowing for counterattacks. However, if the decoy is using the spell on themselves, then they probably should use the Indigo Pendant to ensure it does not miss.
Decoy can be useful in a New Game Minus playthrough to survive against various enemies. In New Game Minus, the status will last even less time as the party will have low Vitality.
==Behind the scenes==
In the manga version, Balthier challenges Vaan to a game where Balthier catches a coin and Vaan must guess which hand it is in. Vaan loses and Balthier explains he won the coin flip using the magick spells Decoy and Vanish to distract Vaan, toss a fake coin while throwing the invisible real coin to Fran, and Vaan lost because he was too naive and didn't watch his surroundings.
Category:Green Magicks in Final Fantasy XII
Category:Arcane Magicks in Final Fantasy XII