Syphon (Final Fantasy XII)

Syphon 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 spell that transfers some MP from a target to the caster, unless the target is an undead in which case the reverse happens. Many strong enemies are immune to it. The player can use it on their own party members to replenish mages from melee party members who do not need to be using as much MP.
==Obtained==
Syphon's license costs 90 License Points in the Zodiac versions, where the spell is bought for 3800 gil from the Clan Provisioner in Rabanastre's Muthru Bazaar after the player has attained the rank of Paragon of Justice in Clan Centurio by felling 24 marks and amassing 250,000 clan points by defeating enemies.
In the original version, Syphon's license costs 50 LP and the spell is bought for 4000 gil from Skyferries after defeating Judge Bergan.
In the Zodiac versions, Syphon can be used by the mage job classes: White Mage, Red Battlemage, Time Battlemage, and Black Mage.
==Mechanics==
Syphon takes MP from the target and gives it to the caster. If the target is undead, the caster is hurt and the target is replenished.
The formula for the amount of HP that is transferred is:
:MP Absorbed = 8 x RANDOM(1~1.125) x [2 + Magick Power x (Level + Magick Power)/256)]
Like heal spells, Syphon ignores the target's Magick Resist.
With the Serenity license or the Magick Gloves accessory, the damage is inflated to 120% (original) or 150% (Zodiac) when the caster is in full health. With the Spellbreaker license or the Leather Gorget accessory, the damage is doubled when the caster is in HP Critical. If the caster has Faith, Syphon will also damage for 30% more. The boosts stack multiplicatively. 
Syphon ignores Reverse and Reflect. Enemies with Safety are immune; these include all bosses, marks, Rare Game, and in general all "tough" encounters.
Syphon costs 2 MP to cast without Channeling licenses. It has 60% base accuracy.
:Success Rate = 60 + (Caster's Magick Power - 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, Syphon will succeed unless the enemy is immune to the spell. The success rate is unaffected by the target's Magick Evade stat, as the spell instead checks against the target's Vitality.
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 or Syphon 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 these spells to always succeed.
==Use==
Syphon is an MP-stealing spell the player is actually best using on their fellow party members rather than on enemies, as the hardest enemies are immune and using it on undead is detrimental. Unlike automating MP-replenishment with Charge, automating Syphon to target a party member via the gambit system is tricky. The player could place Ally:Name→Syphon below spellcasting gambits, but the character would then use it when there are no enemies in vicinity. It works best to use the spell manually when in need of an MP boost by siphoning MP from the party's main attacker when the mage needs it.
As Espers do not need MP to use their abilities, the player can freely siphon MP from them when summoning.
With MP-replenishment and Channeling licenses, as well as Charge, Syphon is rarely needed to keep the party's spellcaster(s) topped up. However, Syphon gains more MP to the caster than using Charge. Syphon's downsides are that it is most practical used manually, does not work every time, and the target's Shell would halve the chance of it succeeding, unless the caster is wearing the Indigo Pendant accessory.
The enemies that use Syphon are Elvoret, Shemhazai, Rafflesia, and Rook.
==Etymology==
The original name, "Asupiru" (or "Aspir"), is likely an abbreviation of the word "aspirate", meaning "to draw in by suction", or the French version of that word, "aspirer", with the same meaning.
Category:Green Magicks in Final Fantasy XII
Category:Arcane Magicks in Final Fantasy XII