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Viera Viera warrior-mages versed in the arts of Black/White magic and swordplay. They are one of the many Job Classes one can assume in the Square-Enix Game Boy Advance video game Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
BACKGROUND: One afternoon, four St. Ivalice children--Marche, his brother Doned, and his classmates Mewt and Ritz--study a strange, old book that Mewt purchased earlier in the day. The tome is filled with words written in an indecipherable language and unusual illustrations of fantastic beings. This book is actually the Gran Grimoire, an ancient and powerful text that can alter reality, transforming the physical world into whatever the reader secretly desires. Scanning the faded pages, Mewt reads aloud a single phrase, "Alta oron, Sondus kameela", the only words in the book he can understand, and remarks that it sounds like a magic spell. It is. The children awake the next day to find themselves, and their reality, transformed into the fantastic land of Ivalice--a magical place populated by many different tribe and monster species. This whimsical kingdom has been born of Mewt's love of the Final Fantasy video games, as well as his own personal demons: the death of his mother, his father's spiraling decline after that tragedy, and the constant bullying he receives at school every day. As Marche tries to come to terms with his role in this new world, he also struggles to find a way to return it to the way it was, a goal Mewt, Doned, and Ritz don't seem to share . . . Viera are one of the five tribes of Ivalice. They are all female (which begs the question of how they reproduce) and resemble humanoid rabbits. Red Mage is one of the Job Classes a Viera can take on; in fact, Viera are the only tribe whose members can become Red Mages.
A mastered Viera Red Mage can cast a variety of relatively low-level spells, borrowed from both the White and Black schools of magic. Attack spells at her disposal include: Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Poison, and Sleep. Curative/Support spells that can be found in her repertoire: Cure and Barrier (casts Shell & Protect simultaneously). An ability unique to Red Mages, Double Cast allows them to rapidly execute two spells in succession. A Red Mage, could, for example, attack a group of enemies with a Fire spell, and then immediately heal a nearby ally with a Cure spell, all in one combat turn. While effective with Red Magic alone, if paired with another spell casting ability (from the Summoner, White Mage, or Elementalist Job Classes), Double Cast becomes even more useful (summoning two monsters, one after the other, or casting Auto-Life twice, on two different allies, are a couple examples). Unlike most magic users, who tend to be physically weak, Red Mages can hold their own in melee combat. They fight skillfully with rapiers; Viera prize the light weight and speed of these thrusting blades. This skill allows the user to capture, in mid-air, items thrown at them. Let's say, for example, that a Ninja tosses a blade at a Red Mage who can use this ability. She will automatically catch, without injury, and pocket said item for her own use. The object can then be used by the Viera, and her allies, or sold for extra money. Viera are quick and highly dextrous. They generally get to act first in combat, giving them an advantage over the other tribes of Ivalice.
Red Mages enjoy a balanced selection of skills, but don't excel in any of them. The abilities of a Red Mage pale in comparison to those of an individual who has mastered a Job Class that is dedicated entirely to either white magic, black magic, or physical combat (i.e., a character with a mastered Black Mage Job Class has access to far more powerful attack spells than a Red Mage does). Red Mages, in comparison to other magic users, have a relatively low number of Magic Points (MP) with which to cast their spells. This is a liability for a Job Class that relies heavily on magical energy for much of its tactical usefulness. Materials:
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(In no particular order of importance.)
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