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Mani Wizard
Gaudily-dressed, lesser magicians that can be found on the 3rd and 4th floors of the Wind Tower in the video game Final Fantasy V.
Trivia
1. Mani Wizards are ranked at Level 5 and classified as 'humanoid' type monsters. They have 20 hit points (HP) and 7 magic points (MP). Defeating one will earn your party of adventurers 20 experience points (EP) and $30 in Gil. The enemy is listed as #11 in the Game Boy Advance (GBA) Final Fantasy V bestiary after you've encountered and defeated one.
2. These enemies will sometimes leave behind a basic 'Rod' weapon when defeated.
3. Healing potions, which restore 50 HP, can be stolen from these clowns during a battle.
4. Mani Wizard and Farfarello/Fanfarerro share the same game sprite. However, their abilities and color scheme differ (Farfarello/Fanfarerro is much stronger than Mani Wizard). This monster sprite recycling is a commonly seen, memory-saving practice found in many role playing games (RPGs)
5. If you capture a Mani Wizard with the '!Catch' ability, and then release it, the black magic 'Death' will be randomly cast on one target.
6. Taking over a Mani Wizard's mind with the '!Control' ability will allow you to command the hijacked monster to physically attack or cast one of the three Level 6(!) black magic spells: 'Flare' (heavy, non-elemental damage to a single target), 'Death' (instant kill on a single target), or 'Osmose' (drains MP from a single target and adds them to one's own). It should be noted, however, that these fools only have 7 MP, which is quite insufficient to cast either Death or Flare (giving weak enemies powerful spells/abilities that they can't actually use is kind of a cruel joke of sorts). If, for some strange reason, you have your heart set on making the clown cast one of those two spells, you can give the Mani Wizard some Ether(s), which will increase its' MP total above and beyond the norm.
7. If a Mani Wizard is encountered with other types of monsters, you will only get 1 ability point (ABP) for defeating the group. If, on the other hand, you encounter a group of three Mani Wizards, you'll get 2 ABPs for winning the battle.
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BACKGROUND:
Along with Black Goblins, White Serpents, and Moldwynds, Mani Wizards have infested the Wind Tower, sanctuary of the Wind Crystal. It must be noted that they are 'wizards' only in their own, self-deluded minds; a more accurate title for them would be 'novice black mage'. Mani Wizards understand, and can call upon, the primary elemental forces, but lack the discipline and talent to advance beyond the basic spells. Their small repertoire of glamours might impress and intimidate the dim-witted creatures that they share the Wind Tower with, but a true wizard would scoff at their paltry skills.
ABILITIES:
Mani Wizards physically attack with wands or rods, which are sometimes imbued with magical properties that enhance their otherwise weak blows. In the spell department, these colorful clowns have the ability to roast their enemies with Fire, freeze them with Blizzard, or zap them with Thunder.
WEAKNESSES:
Mani Wizards have a very small pool of magic points to draw upon; they can only cast a spell or two before these pitiful reserves are depleted. Once that happens, they become a negligible threat, as their physical fighting skills are quite poor. These humanoids are weak and they know it--during a battle, one will generally find them cowering in the back of a group, behind more robust monsters.
Materials:
(Mani Wizard) Tissue paper, newsprint, cardboard, synthetic hair, white glue, hot glue, wire twist ties, acrylic paint, ink, and marker.
(Wizard's Cap) Newsprint, a pom pom ball, white glue, hot glue, and acrylic paint.
(Bomb-Burst Rod) Newsprint, white paper, a wire twist tie, cardboard, white glue, hot glue, and acrylic paint.
(Potion) Newsprint, cardboard, a toothpick, white glue, hot glue, a wire twist tie, and acrylic paint.
(Guide To Black Magic Book) White paper, colored paper, white glue, hot glue, marker, ink, colored pencil, and graphite pencil.
(Bag of $30 in Gil) Plastic cling wrap, cardboard, newsprint, gold foil, white glue, and hot glue.
Dimensions*:
(*The numbers given are for the figure positioned standing straight, arms at its' sides, and without any accessories attached. Depending on how the articulated limbs are positioned and whether the accessories are attached or not, the dimensions of this figure will vary. For example, the Wizard's Cap adds about two more inches to the figure's height when worn.)
22.5 cm/8.9 in. x 7.3 cm/2.9 in. (highest point x widest point)
Articulation:
Twenty-five points. The neck has two joints: The first, where the neck connects to the base of the skull, moves in any direction; the second, where the neck joins the body, rotates and moves forwards and backwards. The arms have eight joints each, for a total of sixteen: They rotate and move inwards and outwards at the shoulders; rotate and bend forward and back at the elbows; rotate and bend at the wrists; and each finger bends forward and backwards where it joins the hand. The waist rotates. The legs have three joints each, for a total of six points: The hips rotate and move inwards and outwards; the knees rotate and bend backwards and forwards; and the ankles can move in any direction.
Time:
Approximately nine days. Construction ran from 4/28/07 to 5/7/07. I began working on this figure the 28th, making and painting the head. The next day, the 29th, I glued on the hair, touched up the head's paint a bit, and constructed and completed the Wizard's Cap accessory. I didn't do any work on this figure on the last day of April, the 30th. On the 1st of May, I made the upper body and neck and attached them together, as well as joining the head to the neck. I also touched up the paint on the eyeballs a bit. The lower body/waist and hands were created on the 2nd of May. I made the arms, attached the hands to them, and then joined these completed upper limbs to the body, on the 3rd. The feet and lower legs were constructed on the 4th and joined at the ankles. On the 5th, I made the upper legs and connected them to the lower legs and waist, and then all of that to the upper body, finally completing the Mani Wizard figure. I also created the Bomb-Blast Rod accessory that day. The Bag of $30 in Gil, Potion, and text pages of the Guide To Black Magic Book were made on the 6th. On the final day, the 7th, I drew the illustration pages and made the cover for the book, and then assembled it, completing the last accessory.
For comparison purposes, below is an image of a Mani Wizard from the Super Entertainment System (SNES) version of Final Fantasy V.
References:
1. GBA Final Fantasy V Advance video game/bestiary.
2. Various Final Fantasy V strategy guides/statistics/lists at GameFAQs
3. RPG Classics Final Fantasy V bestiary
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