Abilities: Reaction
Job classes offer a range of Final Fantasy Tactics reaction abilities to help defend and protect your characters in battle from enemy attacks. Although effects of these skills vary from defensive saves and counterattacks to last-minute restorative spells, they all have one thing in common: their execution is based partly on luck and partly on experience. Even though an attack is supposed to trigger them, that doesn’t mean it will all the time.
The Final Fantasy Tactics reaction abilities list below breaks down each ability by its name, description, trigger, JP cost, job class required, and rating. You can also find a downloadable icon beside each ability name.
Ability Name | Description | JP | Job | Rating |
Counter Tackle | Counters a physical attack with a Dash attack’s body blow. | 180 | Squire | |
Auto Potion | When a character receives and form of HP damage, he or she uses the lowest-level potion available. | 400 | Chemist | |
Weapon Guard | Allows character to evade an attack with an equipped weapon (not always successful). | 200 | Knight | |
Speed Save | When a character takes HP damage, it raises his or her Speed by 1. | 800 | Archer | |
Arrow Guard | Increases the character’s chances of evading a Bow/Crossbow attack. | 450 | Archer | |
HP Restore | Restores HP to the character when an attack brings him or her down to critical levels. | 500 | Monk | |
Counter | Character counters an enemy’s physical attack with one of his or her own. | 300 | Monk | |
Hamedo | Gives the character a chance to attack before being attacked. | 1,200 | Monk | |
Regenerator | An attack that causes HP damage. This allows the character to receive Regen status, gradually restoring his or her HP. Adds: Regen. | 400 | Priest | |
Counter Magic | The character counters with the same magic attack he or she receives. | 800 | Wizard | |
Critical Quick | The character’s AT is elevated to next position when his or her HP totals fall within critical levels. | 700 | Time Mage | |
MP Switch | Character loses MP instead of HP when attacked. | 400 | Time Mage | |
MP Restore | Like HP Restore, an attack that leaves the character in critical condition causes full restoration of MP. | 400 | Summoner | |
Caution | Receiving an enemy’s attack causes the character to take up a defensive position that halves all damage. | 200 | Thief | |
Gilgame Heart | Character receives from the enemy the same amount of Gil as HP damage incurred. | 200 | Thief | |
Catch | Character can catch and keep items thrown across the battlefield. It’s possible to pick up rare items too! | 200 | Thief | |
Finger Guard | Character plugs his or her ears to dodge Talk Skill (word based) attacks. | 300 | Mediator | |
Absorb Used MP | Restores character’s MP by the same amount the enemy used to cast its spell. | 250 | Oracle | |
Counter Flood | Character counters a physical attack by invoking the appropriate geomancy effect. | 300 | Geomancer | |
Dragon Spirit | When a character receives HP damage, that character casts the Reraise status. | 560 | Lancer | |
Meatbone Slash | When critical, allows the character to damage the target in the amount of his or her max HP. | 200 | Samurai | |
Blade Grasp | Allows the character to evade physical attacks other than Bow/Crossbow attacks. | 700 | Samurai | |
Sunken State | Character hides and becomes Invisible once he or she receives HP damage. Adds: Invisible. | 900 | Ninja | |
Abandon | Raises the character’s evade percentage, allowing him or her to dodge attacks more easily. | 400 | Ninja | |
Distribute | When the character’s HP are maxed, he or she shares any excess HP with his or her allies. | 200 | Calculator | |
Damage Split | Character shifts damage received from him- or herself to the enemy. | 300 | Calculator | |
A Save | Rasies the character’s physical attack power when attacked by the enemy. | 550 | Dancer | |
Brave Up | This raises the character’s Brave level when attacked by the enemy. However, since it’s considered to be a Dancer skill, only female warriors may use it. | 500 | Dancer | |
MA Save | Raises a character’s magic attack power when he or she takes HP damage. However, since it’s considered to be a Bard skill, only male warriors may use it. | 450 | Bard | |
Faith Up | Raises a character’s Faith level when he/she’s hit with a magical spell. This ability has its good points and bad: It raises his or her magical power, but it also makes him or her more susceptible to enemy magic. | 500 | Bard |