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BREATH OF FIRE
_  __  ____  _
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BREATH OF FIRE
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--------------

    Dragon
   Handbook

--------------

That's all the ANSI graphics you get.  Sorry.

--------------

Version 0.1: 8/17/0.  Nothing but a framework, using movelists from one of
	the many BoF4 FAQs on gamefaqs.com, making sure to avoid looking at
	storyline and non-dragon-related gameplay spoilers. :)  Nothing worth
	releasing, as none of it is my own writing.

Version 0.7: 12/4/0.  I'm most of the way through the game, and I've
	finally seen most of the dragon forms with my own eyes.  Still to be
	added: Evolved forms of Behemoth, Myrmidion, and Mutant (Bandersnatch,
	Knight, and Punk in the Japanese game, but I've little reason to
	believe they'll use those names, since Jubjub and Jabberwock weren't
	used for the evolved Wyvern and Serpent).  Need the names, descriptions,
	and approximate effects of the Sea and Sand dragon summons.  Need to
	replay the game to get the Wyvern's stats.  Need to find out why the
	heck Kaiser is still unconrollable. Redone: All spell names and
	descriptions.

Version 0.75: 12/7/0. Just finished the game tonight, with a Clear Game
	Save time of 51:05.  I still have far to go on this guide, however,
	since I only have 15,000 Game Points and three un-upgraded dragon
	forms (the same three listed above).  Added in stats for the Infini
	Dragon.

Version 0.751: 12/7/0.  While re-testing a few things I wrote about in the
	above update, I found the last two Evocations.  I also found that
	Kaiser was now controllable (it apparently *was* the missing
	Evocations that was keeping him berserk), so I included his stat
	bonuses.

Version 1.0: 12/8/0. Played with the Sandflyer mini-game to see how the
	scoring works, and got up to 36,368 Game Points in the process.
	Got stats for the Knight, Mammoth, and Punk dragons (as well as
	confirmed the names and move lists).  Figured out exactly how the
	Dragon Upgrade system works.  Found another mini-game, copied the
	in-game descriptions of the dragons, added information on Catastrophe
	and Earthshaker combos.  Oh, did I mention that this is the *first*
	public release?  All the above updates were just warm-ups. :)

--------------

This information guide is copyright 2000 DarkStorm, currently raiu (at)
geocities (dot) com.  Do not publish this commercially without my
permission (and I *will* want to be paid for it :). Do not put this FAQ on
your website without contacting me first. Basically, read it all you want,
save it to your hard drive, and enjoy it forever, but don't publish it or
post it to another web page without e-mailing me and asking my permission
(and I can't think of a reason I wouldn't give my permission).  Simple,
neh?

Do make sure, however, that you are looking at the most recent version of this
guide, which should always be on my web stie and www.gamefaqs.com.


-------------

TABLE OF CONTENTS
i. Dragon Forms
        A. Overview
        B. Ryuu's Dragon Forms
                1. Aura
                2. Wyvern
                3. Behemoth
                4. Myrmidion
                5. Mutant
                6. Kaiser
        C. Fou-Lu's Dragon Forms
                1. Astral
                2. Serpent
                3. Behemoth
                4. Tyrant
        D. Infini
ii. Dragon Evocation
iii. Miscelleny
        A. Dragon Abilities Quick Reference List
        B. Breath of Fire 1 Comparison
        C. Mini-Game Madness

-------------

i. Dragon Forms

A. Overview of the Breath of Fire IV Dragon System

        For simplicity's sake, I'll just use Ryuu's name here.  All of the
following information applies to Fou-Lu's dragon transformations as well
(unless specified otherwise).  This text may contain minor spoilers (as
does any guide), but as few as possible, hopefully.  I've avoided storyline
spoilers wherever possible (with the sole exception of 'when or how you get
this dragon-form' spoilers).  If you want to find all the dragons and what
they do for yourself, don't read this guide :)

        The Dragons are handled somewhat differently this time around,
though it still most closely resembles BoF3's system. Unlike BoF3, however,
this isn't a complete transformation; Ryuu turns into a dragon-man
(resembling the Warrior Dragon from BoF3), who can then use 'Dragon Magic'.
This dragon-man looks the same for every dragon form, and Fou-Lu and Ryuu
look almost exactly the same in this form, except that Ryuu's claws, tail,
and wings are red, while Fou-Lu's are blue. Their dragon-form portraits
have similar subtle differences, but are otherwise identical.

        However, when using a Breath attack (DragonBreath, Eraser, etc),
they transform into full dragon form for the attack, which is presented as
a polygonal cinema scene.  Think of it as a variation on the way Kaiser
worked on BoF3, combined with the overblown - but fun to watch - summon
spells from Final Fantasy. (After viewing the full-blown breath sequence
once, it gives you the option to skip the whole thing on future runs by
pressing the X button).

        Also, like BoF3 Kaiser, Ryuu has full access to his Spell and Skill
lists in dragon-form.  However, Ryuu has no spells this time around other
than Transformation and Evocation magic (and, of course, any Skills you
choose to give him).  You don't have to worry that he'll be out of AP
becuase he used them all casting healing spells in human form. Fou-Lu does
not have Dragon Evocation spells, but he does share Ryuu's Skill list.

        All dragon forms have separate HP, based on Ryuu's current maximum.
If a dragon "dies" in battle, it simply causes Ryuu to revert... but that
dragon form can't be used again until he rests at an inn or in camp, or
uses the item Ambrosia to restore all dragons to full HP. However, dragons
who have been injured in battle slowly regain HP out of battle as you walk
around.  Note, however, that normal healing spells and items won't work on
dragons.  Ambrosia is the *only* item that can heal the dragons, and it's
extremely rare.

        The elemental dragons (including Mutant) upgrade (or 'evolve', as
the game refers to it) into a more powerful form at 10,000, 20,000, 35,000,
and 50,000 Game Points (the 50,000 mark hasn't yet been personally
verified).  The order they change is completely up to the player:  When you
pass 10,000 Points, the next elemental dragon you pick will automatically
and permanently upgrade into its superior form.  Same at each plateau after
that.  Wyvern and Serpent are linked - if one evolves, so will the other
(so you can't "waste" an upgrade by using it on Serpent).  The only real
differences between basic and upgraded forms are higher stats, a few extra
moves on their ability list, and the dragon in the Breath attack is a
different color.  Aura, Kaiser, Astral, and Tyrant cannot be upgraded -Kaiser
and Tyrant *are*, in a sense, the upgraded forms of Aura and Astral.

        Note that the cost of transformation is related to Ryuu's level.
At level 50, for example, it'll cost him 50 (Aura), 75 (Wyvern, Weyr,
Behemoth, Mammoth, Myrmidon, Knight), 60 (Mutant, Punk), or 100 (Kaiser) AP
to transform.  Like BoF3, Ryuu must expend AP each round to maintain dragon
form; unlike BoF3, this cost is 1/4 the transformation AP (rounded down),
not 1/2.  Note that the AP cost of the upgraded dragons is the same as
their basic forms.  Note also that Fou-Lu *starts* at level 64, so needs to
use a lot of AP right from the beginning to transform.  One major
difference from BoF3, however, is that the Shaman's Ring *does* reduce the
AP cost of transformation and maintainance (to 3/4 of normal, round all
fractions down; there is no 1/2 AP reducer in this game that I'm aware of,
unfortunately), as well as the cost of the abilities.

        One other major change from BoF3: Becuase Skills are learned by
defending, rather than by Examining an opponent (in fact, selecting Guard
acts as if you were Examining all opponents *and* allies), Ryuu can teach
the other party members learnable Dragon Skills (the Strikes - including
Searing Sand and Chlorine - for example) simply by attacking the opponents
with them.  Skills that can be learned from Ryuu's dragon forms will be
marked with a *.  Note you can't directly learn any Skills from Fou-Lu's
dragon forms, since he has no companions to defend while he's attacking.
In this case, I've marked the ones that could have been learned, in case
you want to keep an eye out for them from other enemies.

        For Dragon-magic (spells like Hwa and Bing, for example), I'll just
use the main name, not the (fire) annotation that the game uses.
Dragon-magic spells are generally similar to the normal versions of the
spells usable by all characters, with two exceptions:  They cost
significantly fewer AP to cast (not including the cost to transform and
maintain the form, of course), and they each hit twice.  All ability
percentages are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5% (because I keep
getting some odd percentage numbers). Your milage may vary.

        Finally, for the most part, the most useful thing to do with all
the dragon forms in most situations is just unleash their breath attack
every round. (This especially goes for Fou-Lu's scenarios). This is best
done at the end of a combo, which increases the number of hits you get out
of the breath attacks (most hit six times normally for roughly 75% of
Ryuu's current HP total).  For the upgraded dragons, their Level 3
elemental magic is often useful, and the Ultimate Dragons (Kaiser and
Tyrant) have the extremely powerful Aura Smash.


B. Ryuu's Dragon Forms

        I can't stress this enough: In the very first random-encounter
area, have Ryuu learn Rest from the Eye Goos.  Unlike BoF3, BoF4's Rest is
extremely useful, restoring quite a few hit and magic points (when I first
learned it, it was restoring 20 HP and 5 AP, at level 42 it's restoring
about 100 hp and 15 AP).  Combo it after Snooze (which I have on Ershin),
and you'll never be hurting for AP for your dragon forms, no matter how
high their cost goes. (As a side note, Snooze + Rest + Vitalize is a 37-hit
combo, if you're trying to rack up the hits for one master or another)

1. Aura

        This is Ryuu's first dragon form. It's also his cheapest (but by no
means 'cheap') in terms of AP usage.  The good news is that you get it very
early in the game, far earlier than the first dragons in the other games.
You get it very shortly after Fou-Lu gets his Astral Dragon transformation,
while still in Chapter I, subsection 1: Signs and Portents. The downside is
that you won't find any new dragon forms (except for the Berserk Kaiser)
until much later in the game, so get used to this one.  You'll be using it
a lot.  Plus, while you get the *form* at the start of Chapter I, you don't
get the DragonBreath attack until you get the Kaiser, either.
        On the other hand, DragonBreath never ceases to be useful (once you
actually acquire it), and this form's relatively low cost means you can use
it in almost any situation where you're want to take out a group of
powerful opponents quickly.  This is my favorite form.  I use this a lot
even at level 40, when it costs 40 AP.

Transformation Cost: 1 AP/Level
Game description:  Basic dragon form.  Normal property.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 150%
Attack: 120%
Defense: 110%
Wisdom: 120%

DragonBreath (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Six non-elemental hits for a grand
	total of 75% of Ryuu's HP.  Will be divided among multiple opponents.
	The number of hits can be increased by using it at the end of a
	combo)
*Flame Strike (2 AP; Category: Melee/Fire.  Physical Fire Attack)
Hwa (1 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 1 Fire Magic on one target)
Rejuvenate (9 AP; Category: Holy.  Medium healing of one target)
Barrier (4 AP; Category: LV Up.  Magical damage halved for 3 turns)

Upgrade: none


2. Wyvern

        The Fire Gem, that gives Ryuu this form, is found in the Mount Giga
area.  It grants Ryuu fire-based powers, leaving him vulnerable to
water/ice powers, moreso than usual.  It also provides a few
ability-boosting spells, but nothing other members of your party don't also
have.

        Unfortunately, the first time through the game, I missed the Fire
Gem.  I eventually got it, but not before I upgraded Serpent into Peist
(thus also upgrading Wyvern).  I'll have to play through it a second time
to get these stat bonuses.

Transformation Cost: 1.5 AP/Level
Game Description: Basic flame dragon form.  Flame and assist magic.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 150%
Attack: ?
Defense: ?
Agility: ?
Wisdom: ?

Gigaflame (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Fire damage, multiple hits.  Depends on
	current HP and defense.)
*Flame Strike (2 AP; Category: Melee/Fire.  Physical Fire Attack)
Hwa (1 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 1 Fire Magic on one target)
Jeh (2 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 2 Fire Magic on all targets)
Might (3 AP; Category: ST Up.  Increases attack power of target by 20%)


Upgrade: Weyr

        This is the one I actually got to use.  It's fast and powerful, and
is currently my second choice for boss battles, after, of course, Kaiser.
Plus, Behemoth and Myrmidon are just ugly. :) Again, it's vulnerable to
water, but Ryuu can usually get an attack off with his enhanced agility
before the opponents can hit him.
        The best uses for this form are either the Triple Inferno (Ershin's
Inferno + Ursula's Inferno + Ryuu's Hwajeh, in that order), or the Super
Nova combo (Any earth + Ursula or Ershin's Inferno + Ryuu's Hwajeh - the
Inferno turns into Ragnarok, and Ryuu's Hwajeh turns into Super Nova, which
hits four times per enemy plus causes a status alteration - which one, I
don't know, since it always misses). (Note either of these combos will work
with Kaiser, as well, since it also has the Hwajeh spell).

Game Description: Evolved flame dragon form.  Flame and assist magic.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 200%
Attack: 140%
Defense: 140%
Agility: 150%
Wisdom: 200%

Gigaflame (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Fire damage, multiple hits.  Depends on
	current HP and defense.)
*Flame Strike (2 AP; Category: Melee/Fire.  Physical Fire Attack)
Hwa (1 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 1 Fire Magic on one target)
Jeh (2 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 2 Fire Magic on all targets)
Hwajeh (3 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 3 Fire Magic on one target)
Might (3 AP; Category: ST Up.  Increases attack power of target by 20%)
Protect (2 AP; Category: ST Up.  Increases defense power of target by 20%)


3. Behemoth

        It still seems strange to equate the little dragon-man form with
what was the giant Behemoth in BoF3.  Then again, the dragon in the
MeteorStrike sequence - showing what looks like the BoF3 Behemoth after its
been through hard times (some of its horns are broken off) - is definitely
familiar.  And once again, this form is slow, losing half of Ryuu's Agility
and Wisdom scores, and it's vulnerable to wind attacks.  The Earth Gem for
this form is located in the ? area between Pabpab and Saldine, second
"room" (coming from Pabpab), near the center of the large tree-covered
island in the middle. It's a blob of green in the middle of green grass in
the middle of a green island, so it's a bit difficult to see. (I literally
walked past it the first time).

Transformation Cost: 1.5 AP/Level
Game Description: Basic earth dragon form.  High defense.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 220%
Attack: 120%
Defense: 125%
Agility: 45%
Wisdom: 50%

MeteorStrike (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Earth damage, multiple hits.
	Depends on current HP and defense.)
*Searing Sand (2 AP; Category: Melee/Earth.  Physical Earth Attack)
Patoh (1 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 1 Earth Magic on all targets)
Chi Patoh (2 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 2 Earth Magic on one target)
*Counter (1 AP; Category: Lv Up.  Auto-counters physical attacks for the
	rest of the round.  Note that since the Behemoth is very slow, this
	is useless unless your opponents are even slower)


Upgrade: Mammoth

        I haven't gotten a chance to really use this one yet.  On tap to
try:  Water + Quake + Patoh Pah, to see what the combo is (I suspect
it's Catastrophe, with effects similar to Super Nova, above)

Game Description: Evolved earth dragon form.  High defense.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 350%
Attack: 135%
Defense: 135%
Agility: 45%
Wisdom: 50%

MeteorStrike (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Earth damage, multiple hits.
	Depends on current HP and defense.)
*Searing Sand (2 AP; Category: Melee/Earth.  Physical Earth Attack)
Patoh (1 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 1 Earth Magic on all targets)
Chi Patoh (2 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 2 Earth Magic on one target)
Patoh Pah (3 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 3 Earth Magic on all targets)
*Counter (1 AP; Category: Lv Up.  Auto-counters physical attacks for the
	rest of the round)
*Blitz (0 AP; Category: Melee.  Damage depends on current HP and a bit of
	luck. Multiple hits.  Reduces user's hp to 3/4 of previous total)

4. Myrmidon

        Maybe it's just me, but the Myrmidon 'Dragon' doesn't look like a
dragon at all, even less so than his BoF3 counterpart (who was pretty
borderline anyway).  When Ryuu uses his MetaStrike 'breath', he turns into
what looks like a really tall human in a suit of armor. (Note also that
Myrmidon is the name of the *basic* dragon form, not the advanced one as in
BoF3). The only dragon-like traits are the sheild-like claw for the left
hand, and the large wings on his legs.  That said, it's the best at
physical attacks (so far), especially with the defense-ignoring Spirit
Blast and MetaStrike, making it good for heavily-armored opponents.  The
Wind Gem is found in the ? section to the west of the Emperor's Tomb, in a
secluded niche in the large open area (the burning forest area from
Fou-Lu's very first scenario; the forest is gone now).
        After playing the game further, this is turning into one of my
favorite forms.  It's rather quick, and its "breath" attack hits ten times
instead of six.  The only drawback is Ryuu's relatively low hit points in
this form, making his "breath" attack weaker than it could be.

Transformation Cost: 1.5 AP/Level
Game Description: Basic wind dragon form.  Superior attacks.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 150%
Attack: 110%
Defense: 110%
Agility: 120%

MetaStrike (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Wind damage, multiple hits.  Ignores
	opponent's defenses)
*Wind Strike (2 AP; Category: Melee/Wind.  Physical Wind Attack)
P'ung (1 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 1 Wind Magic on one target)
Nah P'ung (2 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 2 Wind Magic on all targets)
*SpiritBlast (0 AP; Category: Melee.  Physical attack at half strength that
	ignores defense)


Upgrade: Knight

        Very, very nice.  This is the one I evolved permanently for the
moment. (To get all the stats, I saved the game, evolved one dragon, looked
at its stats, reset the game, evolved a different dragon, etc).  A Fire + 
Typhoon + Ahryu P'ung will cause the Typhoon to turn into Gigaflare (as
usual), and Ahryu P'ung into Earthshaker, which is pretty much identical to
Super Nova (see the Weyr form), except for its element.

Game Description: Evolved wind dragon form.  Superior attacks.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 180%
Attack: 125%
Defense: 120%
Agility: 155%
Wisdom: 120%

MetaStrike (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Wind damage, multiple hits.  Ignores
	opponent's defense)
*Wind Strike (2 AP; Category: Melee/Wind.  Physical Wind Attack)
P'ung (1 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 1 Wind Magic on one target)
Nah P'ung (2 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 2 Wind Magic on all targets)
Ahryu P'ung (3 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 3 Wind Magic on all targets)
*Cleave (3 AP; Category: Melee.  Physical attack against all opponents at
	quarter strength that ignores defense)
*Shadowwalk (12 AP; Category: Melee  A never-miss Critical hit. Pretty much
identical to Scias's Shining Blade)


5. Mutant

        Think BoF3's Pygmy.  The full-dragon morph is small, cute, and not
all that powerful... except it also lowers enemies' stats to minimum, if it
works.  His other attacks all inflict status ailments.  This is, actually,
a good form for doing indirect damage, while your other party members wail
on the weakened foes.  It causes a severe *drop* in most stats, except for
Wisdom.  I've found it useful for reducing Cyclops' (and later versions
thereof) attack scores to uselessness while doing some small damage in the
process.  The number of Game Points you have determines the 'Level' of
Stardrop. This level has nothing to do with the game points required to
evolve Mutant into the Punk.
        The Flawed Gem can be found in the En Jhou ruins.  Do not, repeat,
DO NOT give this to the man in Chiqua who wants it (or one of two other
items) in return for the information he's offering.  If he takes it, you
won't get it back without restarting the game.
        A warning: this form can also induce convulsive laughter in the
player and anyone watching the screen the first time this breath attack is
viewed.

Transformation Cost: 1.2 AP/Level
Game Description: Basic mutant dragon form.  UNKNOWN.

Dragon ability bonuses (and penalties)
Hit Points: 50%
Attack: 75%
Defense: 75%
Wisdom: 180%

Stardrop (0 AP; Category: Breath. Multiple hits.  Damage depends on current
	HP and defense. May lower attack, defense, agility, and wisdom of
	targets to minimum.  Damage increases as Game Points go up, reaching
	new levels at 30000, 38000, 48000, 54000, and 62000 Game Points)
*Snap (2 AP; Category: Melee/ST Down.  Physical attack that may reduce
	defense by 20%)
*Chlorine (2 AP; Category: Melee/ST Change.  Physical attack that may
	poison target)
Sleep (3 AP;Category: ST Change.  May put all opponents to sleep)
Silence (3 AP; Category: ST Change.  Prevents spell-casting, but not
	physical skills, for all opponents)


Upgrade: Punk

        It's still too damn cute, and rather wimpy, but at least its stats
are a *little* better. (Defense doesn't drop, for example)  Hit points are
still very low, but wisdom is extremely high.  If you have any magic Skills
on Ryuu, this might be the form to use them in.

Game Description: Evolved mutant dragon form.  UNKNOWN.

Dragon ability bonuses (and penalties)
Hit Points: 50%
Attack: 75%
Wisdom: 250%

Stardrop (0 AP; Category: Breath. Multiple hits.  Damage depends on current
	HP and defense. May lower attack, defense, agility, and wisdom of
	targets to minimum.  Damage increases as Game Points go up, reaching
	new levels at 30000, 38000, 48000, 54000, and 62000 Game Points)
*Snap (2 AP; Category: Melee/ST Down.  Physical attack that may reduce
	defense by 20%)
*Chlorine (2 AP; Category: Melee/ST Change.  Physical attack that may
	poison target)
Sleep (3 AP;Category: ST Change.  May put all opponents to sleep)
Silence (3 AP; Category: ST Change.  Prevents spell-casting, but not
	physical skills, for all opponents)
Howling (0 AP; Category:  ST Change. Confuses all opponents)
*Curse (13 AP; Category: Death  Halves all opponents' hit points)


6. Kaiser

        This is the second dragon-form you get in the game... but it's
berserk and uncontrollable until you find all the other Elemental Crystals
and all the Dragon Summons, which you don't get until later.  Beware: It
*is* possible to give away your Flawed Gem (to the man in Chiqua who wants
a treasure in exchange for information). If you do this, Kaiser will remain
uncontrollable, because you cannot get the Gem back.  On the bright side,
even uncontrolled, Ryuu *usually* uses KaiserBreath on the opponents each
round, though he will occassionally attack a random target, sometimes your
own allies.
        You receive this form as part of the storyline - you have to *lose*
a certain fight at the end of Chapter II.  When Ryuu is reduced to 0 hp,
instead of dying, he transforms into this form automatically (try to keep
everyone else alive for that fight; you do get normal experience from it).
After this battle, you also receive Ryuu's DragonBreath attack for his Aura
dragon.
        KaiserBreath, it should be noted, bears a striking resemblance to
the Bahamut ZERO summon from Final Fantasy 7.  KaiserBreath gets a full
twelve hits normally.

Transformation Cost: 2 AP/Level
Game Description: Evolved dragon form.  Superior abilities.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 300%
Attack: 240%
Defense: 160%
Agility: 150%
Wisdom: 200%

KaiserBreath (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Non-elemental damage, multiple hits.
	Depends on current HP and defense.)
Aura Smash (3 AP; Category: Melee.  A critical hit that ignores defense.
	This is more devastating than KaiserBreath against single enemies,
	moreso in a combo)
Hwajeh (3 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 3 Fire Magic on one target)
Ahryu P'ung (3 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 3 Wind Magic on all targets)
Patoh Pah (3 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 3 Earth Magic on all targets)
Resurrect (30 AP; Category: Holy.  Revives an ally with full HP)
*Sanctuary (13 AP; Category: Holy.  Removes ability boosting spells on all
	foes *and* allies)

Upgrade: You want to upgrade Kaiser? Forget it. :)


B. Fou-Lu Dragon Forms

        As a general note, I'm disappointed in how short a time you get to
play as Fou-Lu.  All of Fou-Lu's dragon forms are more powerful than
Ryuu's, if only because he himself is at such an insanely high level when
you start with him.  But because you don't get to play as him too much, and
his selection of forms is so limited, *and* you can pretty much blow
through his scenarios no matter what form you pick (or, in many cases, even
his normal form will be fine), I'm not going into much detail on the uses
of these forms.
        Note also that the Astral, Serpent, and Tyrant dragons are simply
recolored and retextured versions of Ryuu's Aura, Wyvern, and Kaiser
dragons, respectively, though their breath attacks have entirely different
animations.


1. Astral Dragon

        This is the first dragon you'll get in the game, even before
getting Aura.  You'll get this during Fou-Lu's first scenario, which is
very early in the game; in fact, it's so early, it's really still part of
the prologue before the game really gets underway. (As a guideline, I got
this after about a half-hour of play my first time through, and I've
managed to get it in less than fifteen minutes of play on subsequent runs
through the starting scenes). It's Fou-Lu's only dragon for a long time,
too.  Again, though, Eraser is powerful enough to get you through any of
his scenarios (even the last few), and, unlike Ryuu's Aura Dragon, the
Astral Dragon gets his breath attack the first time you use him.
        Like Ryuu's Aura, this is my favorite form, even when he has Tyrant
and Serpent available.  I just like the way it looks.

Transformation Cost: 1 AP/Level
Game description:  Basic dragon form.  Normal property.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 150%
Attack: 120%
Defense: 110%
Agility: 120%

Eraser (0 AP; Six non-elemental hits for a grand total of approximately 75%
	of Fou-Lu's HP.  Will be divided among multiple opponents)
*Frost Strike (2 AP; Category: Melee/Fire.  Physical Water Attack)
*Wild Swing (0 AP; Category: Melee.  Normal attack at 50% to 200% damage,
	selected randomly)
Bing (1 AP; Category: Water. Lv 1 Water Magic on one target)
Death (13 AP; Category: Death.  Instant death attack)

Upgrade: None


2. Serpent

        This is, in effect, Fou-Lu's version of the Wyvern.  It has ice
attacks instead of fire attacks, and it has attacks to reduce the
opponent's abilities, rather than attacks to increase the party's
abilities. (Ability reducers and status changers, however, don't work very
often in this game). The American version features the odd name
'Waterspout' for its breath weapon, which is clearly a giant spiked ball of
ice, as opposed to the Japanese name HellBlizzard (I thought it was typical
Nintendo censorship until I remembered that this is a Playstation game).
It is, of course, vulnerable to fire attacks.
        I can't remember the name of the area where the darn Water Gem is,
but you can't miss it anyway: it's blocking that particular cave exit.
You'll have to get it to continue.

Transformation Cost: 1.5 AP/Level
Game Description: Basic water dragon form.  Water and assist magic.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 150%
Attack: 120%
Defense: 110%
Agility: 120%

Waterspout (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Water damage, multiple hits.  Depends
	on current HP and defense)
*Frost Strike (2 AP; Category: Melee/Water.  Physical Water Attack)
Bing (1 AP; Category: Water. Lv 1 Water Magic on one target)
Bing'ah (2 AP; Category: Water. Lv 2 Water Magic on one target)
*Snap (2 AP; Category: Melee/ST Down.  Physical attack that reduces defense
	by 20%)


Upgrade: Peist

        I didn't get to use this one much (again, Fou-Lu's scenarios are so
short, and I didn't really have much time to use this form), but the one
boss I did use it on went down quickly under a barrage of Waterspouts.  He
gains the ability to reduce the opponent's offense, as well as the level 3
Water Dragon-magic spell.

Game Description: Evolved water dragon form.  Water and assist magic.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 200%
Attack: 180%
Defense: 110%
Agility: 180%

Waterspout (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Water damage, multiple hits.  Depends
	on current HP and defense)
*Frost Strike (2 AP; Category: Melee/Water.  Physical Water Attack)
Bing (1 AP; Category: Water. Lv 1 Water Magic on one target)
Bing'ah (2 AP; Category: Water. Lv 2 Water Magic on one target)
Pa Bing'ah (3 AP; Category: Water. Lv 3 Water Magic on all targets)
*Snap (2 AP; Category: Melee/ST Down.  Physical attack that reduces defense
	by 20%)
*SwordBreaker (2 AP; Category: Melee/ST Down.  Physical attack that reduces
	attack by 20%)



3. Behemoth

This form is identical to Ryuu's, and he gets it when Ryuu does.  I'll
repeat the ability list here for completeness' sake. (I'm guessing that
Fou-Lu could also use the Myrmidon and Mutant forms, given how the game
handles Behemoth, but Ryuu can't get those Crystals before Fou-Lu's final
scenario).

Transformation Cost: 1.5 AP/Level
Game Description: Basic earth dragon form.  High defense.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 220%
Attack: 120%
Defense: 125%
Agility: 50%
Wisdom: 50%

MeteorStrike (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Earth damage, multiple hits.
	Depends on current HP and defense.)
*Searing Sand (2 AP; Category: Melee/Earth.  Physical Earth Attack)
Patoh (1 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 1 Earth Magic on all targets)
Chi Patoh (2 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 2 Earth Magic on one target)
*Counter (1 AP; Category: Lv Up.  Auto-counters physical attacks for the
	rest of the round.  Note that since the Behemoth is very slow, this
	is useless unless your opponents are even slower)


Upgrade: Mammoth

        I never got a chance to use this one at all for Fou Lu.  Not like
it matters much for him :)

Game Description: Evolved earth dragon form.  High defense.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 350%
Attack: 135%
Defense: 135%
Agility: 45%
Wisdom: 50%

MeteorStrike (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Earth damage, multiple hits.
	Depends on current HP and defense.)
*Searing Sand (2 AP; Category: Melee/Earth.  Physical Earth Attack)
Patoh (1 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 1 Earth Magic on all targets)
Chi Patoh (2 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 2 Earth Magic on one target)
Patoh Pah (3 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 3 Earth Magic on all targets)
*Counter (1 AP; Category: Lv Up.  Auto-counters physical attacks for the
	rest of the round)
*Blitz (0 AP; Category: Melee.  Damage depends on current HP and a bit of
	luck. Multiple hits.  Reduces user's hp to 3/4 of previous total)


4. Tyrant

        Fou-Lu's version of the Kaiser.  It's nearly identical, except for
its 9999 hit points, its breath attack, its element (it has a Level 3 Water
attack instead of Level 3 Fire), and, as befits the Dark Dragons, Death
instead of Resurrect.  Fou-Lu gets this one automatically, when Ryuu gets
Kaiser.  Note that the ability increases aren't as dramatic as one might
expect for his Ultimate Dragon Form (especially compared to Ryuu's Kaiser),
but the HP boost to a constant 9999 makes his breath attack particularly
powerful.
        Fou-Lu has Tyrant automatically the first time you control him
after Ryuu gets Kaiser (similar to Ryuu getting Aura when Fou-Lu acquires
Astral).

Transformation Cost: 2 AP/Level
Game Description: Evolved dragon form.  Superior abilities.

Dragon ability bonuses
Hit Points: 9999
Attack: 135%
Defense: 115%
Agility: 150%
Wisdom: 120%

Dark Wave (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Non-elemental damage, multiple hits.
	Depends on current HP and defense.)
Aura Smash (3 AP; Category: Melee.  A critical hit that ignores defense.
This can be more devastating than Dark Wave against single enemies)
Pa Bing'ah (3 AP; Category: Water. Lv 3 Water Magic on all targets)
Ahryu P'ung (3 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 3 Wind Magic on all targets)
Patoh Pah (3 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 3 Earth Magic on all targets)
Death (13 AP; Category: Death.  Kills target instantly)
*Sanctuary (8 AP; Category: Holy.  Dispels all Assist magic effects on
	allies and opponents)

Upgrade: It's not happening.  Sorry :)


C. Infini

        *The* most powerful dragon in the game, bar none.  For the sake of
avoiding spoilers, I'll leave out how to get it entirely, as well as who
gets it.  It has Tyrant's breath attack, all three levels of all four
elemental dragon spells, and a unique ability, Soul Rend, that never
misses.
        In appearance, Infini is clearly the Kaiser/Tyrant polygonal model,
with different texturing.  Its Dark Wave attack is identical to Tyrant's in
terms of animation, only it shows Infini unleashing the attack.

Transformation cost: Spoiler!
Game description: Spoiler!

Dragon abilities:
Hit points: 9999 (regenerates 9999 hp/rd) o_O
Ability points: 999
Attack: 646
Defense: 402
Agility: 286
Wisdom 500

Dark Wave (0 AP; Category: Breath.  Non-elemental damage, multiple hits.
	Depends on current HP and defense.)
Soul Rend (13 AP; No category.  Reduces all opponents to 1 hp.  Never
	misses.  No fair) :)
Hwa (1 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 1 Fire Magic on one target)
Jeh (2 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 2 Fire Magic on all targets)
Hwajeh (3 AP; Category: Fire. Lv 3 Fire Magic on one target)
P'ung (1 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 1 Wind Magic on one target)
Nah P'ung (2 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 2 Wind Magic on all targets)
Ahryu P'ung (3 AP; Category: Wind. Lv 3 Wind Magic on all targets)
Bing (1 AP; Category: Water. Lv 1 Water Magic on one target)
Bing'ah (2 AP; Category: Water. Lv 2 Water Magic on one target)
Pa Bing'ah (3 AP; Category: Water. Lv 3 Water Magic on all targets)
Patoh (1 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 1 Earth Magic on all targets)
Chi Patoh (2 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 2 Earth Magic on one target)
Patoh Pah (3 AP; Category: Earth. Lv 3 Earth Magic on all targets)


ii. Dragon Evocation

        The game's name for Summon spells.  All of these cost 0 AP to cast,
but they can only be used once per rest at an inn.  Resting in camp won't
recharge these spells.  These are all Category: Breath, and the attack
summons hit multiple times like Ryuu's breath attacks.  To acquire a dragon
summon, you simply have to speak to the dragon's human avatar.  You will
automatically receive P'ung Ryong's summon, Rainstorm, as part of the
normal course of play.  The rest you must find, but most of them aren't
difficult. (The only one I had real trouble finding was the Sea Dragon, so
I'm including how to get it below).

        I also have to say that the character designers have an odd idea
what constitutes a 'dragon' this time around.  Sheesh.

Rainstorm:  From P'ung Ryong, the Wind Dragon.  You can't miss this one.
The sky dragon (looks like an eel with fins and tusks to me) swoops between
the clouds, where lightning flashes, then rises above them to where the
opponents are waiting on a small piece of grassy land (FF7 Neo Bahamut,
anyone?)  A tear falls from the dragon's eye, which soon turns into a
rainstorm.  Holy damage to all opponents, eight hits, based on *their* HP,
not yours.  Even after multiple viewings, this is one of my favorites.

Fulguration: From the Nameless One, the Rock Dragon.  It's a jellyfish, I
tell you, a giant jellyfish.  It extends its - limbs?  stone tentacles?
whatever - and electricity arcs between them, forming a huge gravity well
which it shoots downwards at the targets, who are immobilized on a magic
circle. The ball then explodes as it hits the ground. Does eight hits of
gravity-elemental (what does that mean, exactly?) damage based on the
opponents' HP.  Use this first, to soften up powerful enemies.  It will
never deal the final blow, as it takes a small percentage of the opponent's
HP in damage. (I couldn't kill NutTroops with it towards the end of the
game, even)

Mud Flow: From Ni Ryong, the Mud Dragon.  The ground turns to mud, while a
magic circle locks the opponents in place.  Ni Ryong, a semi-transparent
earthworm-like creature with huge anime eyes, bursts out of the sands, and
roars once, while the ground begins to shift and move until a huge tidal
wave (FF7 Leviathan, anyone?) of mud covers the opponents.  Does water and
earth-based damage, twelve hits. (A movie file of this Evocation is at
psx.ign.com).

Onslaught: From Sa Ryong, the Sand Dragon.  I love this one.  The ground
turns to desert, a magic circle immobilizes the enemies, and Sa Ryong can
be seen burrowing just under the sand from a distance.  When it gets close,
it disappears entirely, before bursting out directly under the enemies,
sending them flying.  It then proceeds to slam into them, one by one, while
in the air, sending them off into the distance. (If there are fewer than
six opponents, it'll slam into them more than once, batting them around
until it finally knocks them away). Finally, the scene shifts back to the
regular battle scene, and the enemies come crashing down.  Causes six hits
worth of Wind damage and may cause confusion.

Flood Tide: From Hae Ryong, the Sea Dragon.  Tough sucker to find (look for
the four rocks to the left of Shikk in an upside-down L formation.
Maneuver the ship in there, hit the triangle button, and listen for the
'Dragon' music (if you've gotten the other summons, you know the music I
mean).  Oh, yes, the description.  Hae Ryong, who looks like nothing so
much as the Loch Ness Monster with a clam shell and octopus tentacles for
forelimbs, rises from the depths.  Two tubes on his shoulders twitch and
aim, and he blasts the opponents (immobilized on a magic circle again) with
water.  Causes Wind/Water damage and may stun the enemies.  (I haven't used
it on anything powerful enough to survive the full damage, so I'm not sure
of the number of hits)

Healing Wind: From Cho Ryong, the Grass Dragon.  I like the dragon design,
but the summon itself has questionable usefulness.  A magic circle appears,
in the middle of which Cho Ryong appears and unfurls her wings.  A small
woodland glade springs up around the party, and sparkles of light restore
all living memebers of the party to full HP and normal status. (This would
be more useful if it wasn't limited to one use).  It's a good 'emergency'
healing spell, though, but it doesn't bring dead party members back to
life.  It's basically the spell version of the Moon Tears item.

Holy Circle: From Su Ryong, the Tree Dragon.  Hands down the most useless
dragon summon in the game. It is, in fact, in the running for the most
useless spell ever (other than the ones that are obviously *meant* to be
useless, like Feign Swing or Egghead.  Heck, Egghead is less useless than
this). The surrounding area turns into a forest (more heavily wooded than
Cho Ryong's summon), and Su Ryong - a tree with a face, six little
insect-like legs, and dragonfly-like wings (Wings?  It's rooted to the
ground.  Why does it need wings?) - casts an octgonal solid around your
party, with mystic symbols on each side.  This makes your party invincible
for the rest of the round.  Hopefully you didn't attack last in the round.
(This may have been useful if you had EX turns like in BoF3, but sadly,
such is not the case).


iii. Miscelleny

A. Dragon Abilities Quick Reference List

        Percentages are proportional to Ryuu/Fou-Lu's abilities in human
form (i.e., if Ryuu has 200 HP in human form, he'll have 200 x 1.5 = 300 as
Aura, 200 x 0.5 = 100 as Henner, etc).  Note that the Infini and Tyrant
dragons have a set number of HP, and the Infini dragon has set values for
his stats.

Astral (Fou-Lu): 150% HP, 120% Atk, 110% Def, 120% Agi
Aura (Ryuu): 150% HP, 120% Atk, 110% Def, 120% Wis
Behemoth (Both): 220% HP, 120% Atk, 125% Def, 45% Agi, 50% Wis
Infini: 9999 HP, 999 AP, 646 Atk, 402 Def, 286 Agi, 500 Wis
Kaiser (Ryuu): 300% HP, 240% Atk, 160% Def, 150% Agi, 200% Wis
Knight (Ryuu): 180% HP, 120% Atk, 120% Def, 155% Agi, 120% Wis
Mammoth (Both): 350% HP, 135% Atk, 135% Def, 45% Agi, 50% Wis
Mutant (Ryuu): 50% HP, 75% Atk, 75% Def, 180% Wis
Myrmidon (Ryuu): 150% HP, 110% Atk, 110% Def, 120% Agi
Peist (Fou-Lu): 200% HP, 180% Atk, 110% Def, 180% Agi
Punk (Ryuu): 50% HP, 75% Atk, 250% Wis
Serpent (Fou-Lu): 150% HP, 120% Atk, 110% Def, 120% Agi
Tyrant (Fou-Lu): 9999 HP, 135% Atk, 115% Def, 150% Agi, 120% Wis
Weyr (Ryuu): 200% HP, 140% Atk, 140% Def, 150% Agi, 200% Wis



B. Breath of Fire 1 Comparison

        Well, I finished the game, and I think I see *exactly* how this one
fits in with the others. (Of course, that presumes all my guesses,
assumptions, and deductions are on-target.  If you've finished the game and
want to hear my theory and reasoning, or if you *haven't* finished the game
and want to hear my reasoning and don't mind a ton of spoilers, e-mail me).
But here are a few ways the game harkens back to BoF1 in terms of Game
Play, rather than Storyline.

(1) Nina.  She's got large wings and she can fly.  More notable, she's the
group's healer, a position she hasn't had since the original game.
Granted, she doesn't have all the defensive spells she had in BoF1 (Cray
got most of them here), and Scias has a few healing spells as well (though
he gets them at later levels than Nina does), but Nina will be the main
healer. (As a side note, The Grassrunner clan are usually good healers -
Bow, Momo, and Scias are all part of this clan).

(2) The plot of Breath of Fire 1 is really rather linear:  Ryuu leaves home
to find his missing sister, who he believes is being held by the Empire.
Replace 'Ryuu' with 'Nina', and you have the opening plot of BoF4.  The
BoF4 plot isn't quite as linear, as you get distracted at least a
half-dozen times with more important matters, but finding a main
character's sister is integral to the premise of the game. (In both cases,
as well, it turns out to have nothing to do with the final showdown at the
end of the game)

(3) A minor feature:  The behind-the-back-perspective separate-screen
battle sequences from BoF1 and 2 are back, and he fact your characters
actually run up and hit the enemies rather than stand in place and swing is
back from the original game.

(4) The conflict between the Light and Dark Dragons definitely takes center
stage, as it did in BoF1.  I still don't know if Fou-Lu and Emperor Zog are
related; I'd love to get my hands on a Japanese copy of BoF1 and play it
through.

(5) Ryuu's spell list.  In BoF1, he had nothing but Dragon transformation
spells. In BoF2 he got a few minor healing spells, and in BoF3 he became
the best healer in the game (which was highly annoying, since I was saving
his AP for dragon transformations.  And people wonder why I like Momo so
much).  In BoF4, once again, his only spells are Meditation (i.e., Dragon
Transformation), and the Dragon Summons.

(6) The battle system.  Breath of Fire 1 had all eight characters
participating in every battle, and everyone got experience from every
fight, whether they actually attacked or not.  Switching in and out was a
bit more awkward (you could only switch one character per round), and you
couldn't switch out Ryuu in dragon-form (why would you want to?), but BoF4
brings back never having to decide who's coming with you and who's going to
get stuck never gaining a level.  As a completely irrelevant side-note, why
did the 16-bit games have more characters in the party?  BoF had eight,
BoF2 had nine, while BoF 3 and 4 have only six (seven if you count Teepo or
Fou-Lu).  Further, BoF and BoF2 allowed four characters in the active
party, while 3 and 4 allow only three.


C. Mini-Game Madness

        I'd like some help in completing this section, because I only know
of a few replayable mini-games. This is, of course, dragon-related becuase
you need a certain number of Game Points to upgrade your dragons.
(Currently, I have 15,000, with only the Wyvern upgraded). Your Fishing
Points, I have to note, are entirely separate from your Game Points, so you
can't go fishing in an attempt to upgrade those dragons :)  Keep in mind
these points are for completing the mini-games the second and subsequent
times; you get far more points the first time you play them, usually *ten
times* as much (so try to get them right the first time.  It's not as
pointless as it appears).
	Oh, and don't smack people with your sword for 'easy' money.  You
*lose* Game Points for that.

1. Sandflyer Jumping:  You get points for beating your high score when
traveling between any two points in your sandspeeder.  More accurately,
your high score for each of the three (?) courses are kept as part of your
Game Points.  When you get a higher score, only the difference is added to
your Game Points.
        The points themselves are gotten by doing trick jumps off the sand
dunes (and, of course, landing safely).  I don't believe the time has
anything to do with it; I'll have to check this out more by ignoring the
clock and just jumping those sand dunes for a while.  I might be able to
get a few hundred thousand points right here. :)
        Update:  I've found that you can, indeed, get a lot of points here,
but not an unlimited number.  There are six courses (between the three
points Kyoin, Shyde and the Shikk region - going in the opposite direction
counts as a different course for scorekeeping purposes), and you can get a
maximum of 4000 points on each one, for a grand total of 24,000 Game
Points.  This alone will be enough to upgrade two of the four dragons.

2. Move Them Boxes:  At the Wharf, you can try to get those ten crates on
the ship again in three minutes.  On replays, this scores 10 points per box
placed, or 20 points per box placed in the light blue square.  That's 200
points total, if you place all ten boxes in the blue squares, plus a time
bonus if you complete it with 30 or more seconds on the clock.  I've never
gotten more than 380 points out of this, but it's quick and easy, if rather
tedious.

3. Catching The Sheep: If they're sheep, why are they going 'oink'?  Oh, no
matter.  Just like capturing Tak the brown chicken. (If you don't know what
I mean, then you haven't gotten far enough to access this mini-game
anyway). Drive the brown sheep into the pen to end this game.  You get 10
points per white sheep you drive in first (I believe there are 14 of them
all told), and a bonus depending on how many sheep you get in before
chasing the mother sheep in.  I've heard there's a potential of 680 points
here, but I'm not sure it's worth it, in terms of time spent vs. points
gotten.  (I usually wind up spending five minutes chasing the darn sheep
around, before I finally get fed up and chase the brown one in the pen, for
a grand total of 100 points).

4. White Water Rafting:  In Mount Rift, ride the raft and pick up the bags
for 20 points each.  There's not much to earn here. The most I've gotten is
220 points (including a time bonus), and you have to run through a small
enemy-infested area just to get to the raft.  Still, this is the easiest of
the games, and may be the most worthwhile in the long run.


-----

Bonus BoF4 Rant: If Capcom of America *had* to remove a decapitation scene,
why did they do it by ending the scene in the middle before the
decapitation would have taken place?  Would it have been that difficult for
the character to blink and disappear, and have the scene go on as normal?
(I mind less the removal of a scene of Nina and Ursula bathing, because I
didn't even notice it was missing.  The premature end of the decapitation
scene left me scratching my head and wondering what just happened).
        For that matter, they delayed the game an extra month, could
*someone* have translated the credits?  (Actually, this is all more of a
Capcom of America rant than a general BoF4 one - the game itself is
excellent.  I just feel slightly gypped by this slipshod job of
"Americanizing" it)

Bonus BoF Wish List:  A Breath of Fire Collection disk for the PSX,
featuring BoF 1 and 2, both with new translations (Square did a shoddy job
with BoF1, changing names at will, and BoF2 combined horrible English with
translators who couldn't make up their minds whether to use Square's names
or not.  So Winlan was changed back to Windia and Tyr became Miria - they
didn't add the y's to Wyndia and Myria until BoF3 - but Deis was still
named Bleu).  Fun fact:  BoF2 and BoF3 have almost exactly the same spells,
but because a completely different team translated them, they have entirely
different names for almost all of them.
        The ultimate feature for this non-existant Collection would be the
ability to mix and match characters between the games once they've both been
finished (imagine fighting Deatheven with the G.Dragon *and* Agni), but I
doubt that'll happen.  :)

-----


SPECIAL THANKS TO

Capcom of Japan, for this excellent game.  Keep making them, and find
someone less squeamish to translate them to English. :)

Happy Matt (happy_matt@msn.com), who explained the dragon system to me
several months before the game was released, and whose FAQ provided the
move lists for dragon forms I hadn't yet gotten, as well as the Levels for
Stardrop, and the 50,000 Game Point plateau for upgrades.  (His FAQ is also a
good guide to 'what the heck are they yelling?' as the part casts their
spells. It's currently the most complete BoF4 FAQ available, even though
it's for the Japanese version).

Anyone I forgot. :)


Breath of Fire IV Dragon Handbook  2000 DarkStorm (Laurence A. Isen).
