=======================================================================
Grandia II Battle FAQ
By Alex Joshua (Props08@BOOMaol.com) If you want to e-mail me, take the 
BOOM out of my e-mail address.  No spam please.  ^_^
1st Version: February 10th, 2001

This FAQ is  Alex Joshua 2001.  This FAQ may not been altered in any 
way or sold without my written consent.  If you want to use this FAQ on 
your website or your FAQ, please ask me first.  If you feel that this 
FAQ is missing something or there's an error, please point it out to me 
and you'll receive credit for it.

* !WARNING: This FAQ contains one minor SPOILER about Roan, so read at 
your own risk! *

=======================================================================
Contents
I.    Introduction
II.   The IP Bar
III.  Stat descriptions
IV.   Battle Commands 
V.    Counter-attacks/Canceling
VI.	Basic Techniques
      a. Ryudo
      b. Elena
      c. Millenia
      d. Roan
      e. Mareg
      f. Tio
VII.  Battle Strategies
VIII. My team
IX.   Tips
X.    Coming Soon
XI.   Conclusion

=======================================================================
I. Introduction
=======================================================================
This is my first FAQ and I hope you like it.  This FAQ is designed to 
help you understand the Grandia II battle system better and help you 
become a better fighter.  When I first bought this game I was having 
trouble understanding some of the battle mechanics so I decided to 
write a FAQ about it.  This game has one of the best battle systems 
I've ever seen in an RPG.  Enough babbling, here's the FAQ!

February 10, 2001: This FAQ is done!  Well actually it's been done 
since the 17th but I had to make a few minor changes. :)

January 17, 2001: I'm still working on it.  I'm almost done but I've 
had midterms this week so I haven't had time to work on it.

January 7, 2001: I start this FAQ.

=======================================================================
II. The IP Bar
=======================================================================

*-_-_-_-_-_-_*          __
|            |    Key:  \/ = Enemy Icon     
| The IP Bar |
|            |          \/ = Character Icon
*-_-_-_-_-_-_*          /\


                        __
                        \/
|-----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
|           |           |           |        COM==================>ACT|
|-----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
                        \/
                        /\

This is the IP bar.  When a character's icon reaches the COM point, you 
input a battle command (see section IV) and when the icon reaches the 
ACT point, the command is executed.  The action doesn't happen right 
when you select it, like other RPGs, so it might take a little time to 
get used to.  Certain stats affect the IP speed of a character (see 
section III) just so you know.  That's about it!

=======================================================================
III. Stat Descriptions
=======================================================================
Ever wonder what the difference between SPD, MOV, and AGI was?  Don't 
know what MEN stands for?  This section is here to let you know what 
all the abbreviations mean and help you decide which ones you want to 
boost with skills/armor/jewelry first.  There are two tables: the 1st 
one is Regular Stats.  These are the stats you see when you go into the 
menu screen (press start button when in a dungeon area/town) and select 
the status icon.  The second table is Battle Stats.  These are the 
stats that are displayed in battle when someone casts a spell like 
runner, which makes your MOV higher.  Also, if someone casts a spell on 
you like def-loss, you only lose defense for that one battle.  After 
the battle all your Regular Stats are returned to normal and the next 
time you battle your Battle Stats are normal too.  Same thing happens 
if you cast diggin' on your team: the effects only last for that 
battle.  Try to keep your battle stats up and your enemies' battle 
stats down.

*------------------------------------------*
|Regular Stats (shown on the status screen)|
*------------------------------------------*---------------------------
|       Stat Name       |                 Description                 |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|          SPD          | Speed.  How fast your character runs and the|
|                       | distance they run is based on this stat.    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                       | Agility.  How fast your character's icon    |
|          AGI          | advances on the IP bar is based on this     |   
|                       | stat.                                       |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|          STR          | Strength.  The higher your strength, the    |
|                       | more damage your physical attacks do.       |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                       | Vitality.  This is basically your defense   |
|          VIT          | The higher it is, the less damage you       |
|                       | receive from physical attacks.              |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                       | Magic.  The higher it is, the more effective|     
|          MAG          | your magic will be.  Healing magic restores |
|                       | more and attack magic does more damage when |
|                       | does more damage when this stat is high.    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                       | Mentality.  Your magic defense is based on  |
|          MEN          | this stat.  The higher it is, the less      |
|                       | damage you receive from magical attacks.    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


*------------------------------*
|Battle Stats (shown in battle)|
*------------------------------*---------------------------------------
|                       | Movement.  This is the battle equivalent of |
|          MOV          | your speed, plus the added effects of armor,|
|                       | weapons, jewelry, etc.                      |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                       | Attack.  This is the battle equivalent of   |
|          ATK          | your strength, plus the added effects of    |
|                       | armor, weapons, jewelry, etc.               |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                       | Defense.  This is the battle equivalent of  |
|          DEF          | your VIT, plus the added effects of armor,  |
|                       | weapons, jewelry, etc.                      |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                       | Action.  This is the battle equivalent of   |
|          ACT          | your agility, plus the added effects of     |
|                       | armor, weapons, jewelry, etc.               |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

=======================================================================
IV. Battle Commands
=======================================================================
Below is a list of the battle commands and descriptions of what they 
do.  *Check out the battle strategies section for more info.*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|    What it is    |                  What it does                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                  | Your standard physical attack.  How much damage  |
|                  | you deal is based on your STR stat.  There are   |
|      Combo       | some items that can add hits to your combo (like |
|                  | demon tears) to deal  even more damage.  You get |
|                  | a small amount of SP every time you attack.      |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                  | A strong attack.  This attack only hits once and |
|                  | doesn't do as much damage as a normal attack     |
|                  | does, but when the hit connects it moves that    |
|     Critical     | opponent's icon to the left on the IP bar.  If it|
|                  | hits when their icon is between COM and ACT,     |
|                  | their action is canceled and the icon moves back |                        
|                  | further.                                         | 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                  | This brings up the moves and magic menus.  Press | 
|    Move/Magic    | L/R to change from the moves to magic.  For more |  
|                  | information check out Wulfson's Special          |
|                  | Techniques Guide on GameFAQs.                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                  | This brings up the item menu.  You can use attack|
|       Item       | or recovery items.  You can also change your     |
|                  | equipment, but that makes your character lose a  |
|                  | turn.                                            |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                  | When you defend, that character immediately      |
|                  | gets into a defensive stance.  This is good to   |
|      Defend      | use when someone is about to be hit with a strong|
|                  | attack.  You get a decent amount of SP from      |
|                  | blocking an attack.                              |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                  | Use this to dodge an attack or move to a safer   |
|                  | area of the battlefield.  If an enemy is about to|
|      Evade       | attack and you evade, there's a larger chance of |
|                  | you dodging the hit.  Like Defend, this happens  |
|                  | as soon as you select it.                        |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                  | Escape from the battlefield.  Only use this when |
|      Escape      | you are desperately low on health, or when you   |
|                  | just don't feel like fighting (which shouldn't   |
|                  | happen too often).  Doesn't work in boss fights. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|                  | Set the A.I. for your party.  I've never used    |
|       A.I.       | this before, but I guess you could use it if you |
|                  | didn't want to control your characters (another  |
|                  | thing which shouldn't happen too often).         |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

=======================================================================
V. Counter-attacks and Canceling
=======================================================================
*Counter-Attacks*

A counter-attack is when you hit an opponent while they are in their 
attack animation.  Enemies receive more damage when hit with a counter-
attack.  If you time things right, you can counter-attack with 
Criticals or even Special Moves!  You can also counter-attack with 
magic.  Enemies can counter-attack you too, so be careful.  Counter-
attacks can be useful for helping someone out of a tight spot.  
Example: An enemy is going to attack Roan.  Ryudo decides to do his 
Tenseiken Slash.  While his icon is moving to the ACT bar, the enemy is 
closing in on Roan.  Right before the enemy hits Roan, Ryudo does the 
Tenseiken Slash.  Since this move has a cancel effect, it does lots of 
damage (from the counter-attack) and cancels their attack.  It may be 
tricky to time, but it pays off.  Another helpful hint about counter-
attacks: if an enemy is about to attack you, no matter what, your combo 
hit will ALWAYS be a counter-attack (unless your opponent is fast or 
close to you).  This doesn't work for Criticals since your attack 
animation takes longer.  Counter-attacks don't have a cancel effect 
though, so you should have someone to back up your character since the 
enemy will still try to attack you.  Counter-attacks are also good to 
help someone move to a safer spot on the battlefield.  Example: An 
enemy is going to attack Mareg and he has low HP.  As the monster is 
running towards him, Tio decides to attack it.  As the monster is about 
to attack Mareg, Tio's hit connects, temporarily stunning the enemy.  
This gives Mareg enough time to run to a safer spot.

*Canceling*

A cancel occurs when you cancel an enemy's attack, move, or magic.  
Everyone can do a cancel attack, but the animation is longer than a 
normal combo attack, so time it carefully.  If this hit connects while 
the opponent's icon is between the COM and ACT points on the IP bar, a 
cancel occurs.  If you hit them anywhere before the COM point, it will 
only move their icon about 1 bar to the left.  The basic techniques of 
each character (see section VI) has a cancel effect, so it would be 
wise to advance those moves first because it will be very helpful later 
on in the game.  This attack is very useful when your enemy is about to 
do a damaging/annoying attack and you don't want them to.

=======================================================================
VI. Basic Techniques
=======================================================================
This section deals with the basic techniques of every character.  Here 
is an example of what it explains.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
(Character) Name: Props08
Name of Technique: Crazy Crackhead Slash
SP Consumed: 46
What it is: A description of the technique.
How many people does it hit?: Exactly what the question says.
When to use it: When those Crazy Crackheads come around.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Here's the technique list!  In future updates I will list ALL of the 
characters' techniques.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Name: Ryudo
Technique Name: Tenseiken Slash
SP Consumed: 24
What it is: An upward slash from below (Cancel Effect).
How many people does it hit? : 1
When to use it: This is a great move to use on an enemy that's about to 
do a devastating attack (like the Devils' BA-BOOM!) and you want to 
cancel it, and do some good damage.  The higher Ryudo's STR stat is 
(see section III), the more damage this technique (and all his other 
techniques) will do.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Name: Elena
Technique Name: Impact Bomb
SP Consumed: 25
What it is: Ball of light pounds enemy (Cancel Effect).
How many people does it hit? : 1
When to use it: This move is also great to cancel attacks (like all the 
other basic techniques) but the special thing about Elena's is that she 
doesn't have to move!  Even though it really doesn't matter, I think it 
looks cool when she yells, "Here comes my impact bomb!" and tosses a 
bomb from the other side of the battlefield.  This technique works well 
against demons and other undead enemies, since it's light based.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Name: Millenia
Technique Name: Arrow Shot
SP Consumed: 25
What it is: A single surefire shot (Cancel effect).
How many people does it hit? : 1
When to use it: This technique doesn't really have anything good about 
it besides that it can cancel attacks and do decent damage.  Use this 
on any enemy, since it doesn't do extra damage depending on the enemy 
(like Elena's Impact Bomb).
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Name: Roan
Technique Name: Golden Hammer
SP Consumed: 22
What it is: Attack with a huge hammer (Cancel effect).
How many people does it hit? : 1
When to use it: Like Millenia's Arrow Shot, this move doesn't have any 
special effects on certain enemies.  Use it whenever you want.  I think 
that Roan's STR stat might have something to do with this technique, 
but I'm not 100% sure.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Name: Mareg
Technique Name: Beast Fang Cut
SP Consumed: 26
What it is: Spirited Axe Attack (Cancel effect).
How many people does it hit? : 1
When to use it: This move is extremely strong, and extremely effective.  
Raise up your STR stat so you can do large amounts of damage.  This 
doesn't effect any certain enemies, but it probably would if you had an 
axe with an element (like the Earthern axe).  Keep your enemies in 
check!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Tio:
Technique Name: Lotus Flower
SP Consumed: 28
How many people does it hit? : Enemy Line!
What it is: Attack using rings (Cancel effect). 
When to use it: This is my favorite basic technique!!!  It is EXTREMELY 
useful when your enemies are bunched up together.  Here's some advice: 
have someone cast the Gravity spell to bunch the enemies together, then 
use her Lotus Flower on them!  Only do this if the Gravity spell is 
maxxed out, and so is the Lotus Flower.  Or you could just have Tio 
evade somewhere on the battlefield where it gives her a good spot to 
hit some enemies and cancel some attacks.  This is also very good 
because it does decent damage.  This is by far the best basic 
technique.  ^_^
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

=======================================================================
VII. Battle Strategies
=======================================================================
No matter what you do, keep an eye on the status bars at the top of the 
screen.  The battles can get so intense that you may forget to look at 
the top of the screen, then *bam*!  Next thing you know, Roan is dead 
and everyone has less than 20 hp!  Be sure to stay up-to-date with your 
weaponry so that you can deal the most damage possible.  Always check 
to see what your enemies will do, and plan cancel attacks/techniques 
appropriately.  If someone's hp status turns yellow, use a spell like 
Heal or Healer to bring him or her back to full health.  If their hp 
status turns red, use Healer+ on them, or have two people cast 
Heal/Healer.  Use defend and evade to your advantage, and remember that 
you can't evade magical attacks or enemy techniques.  Kill enemies with 
the lowest HP first, unless it's a boss that regenerates back-ups (like 
the egg guardian).  This will allow you to concentrate your attacks on 
the stronger person.  You recover SP from using regular attacks, 
cancels, and blocking/taking hits.  You get a little bit more if you 
block an attack.  Use this to your advantage when you have 21 SP and 
need just a little bit more to pull off that Tenseiken Slash.  Hope 
that helps!

=======================================================================
VIII. My Team
=======================================================================
Ryudo: One tough cookie.  It's hard for enemies to hit him since his 
Godspeed shoes allow him to move across the battlefield in an instance.  
They also don't like his 4 hit combos because of his Soul of Asura 
equipped.  They have a hard time staying alive too since one of his 
skills is a *MAX strength.

Roan (before he left the party): The magic caster of the group.  Since 
his MAG and MEN stats were the highest, he had no problem disposing of 
enemies with his zap-all spell. He also has a 4-star life-up to boost 
his hp a little.

Roan (after he re-joined the party): Same as before, but with higher 
defense.  He now has Ryudo's old Demon Tears so enemies get more 
punishment.

Elena: Roan's magical back up.  She specifies in more support/backup 
magic.  She has high MAG and MEN stats so she's right for the job.  She 
can often be seen casting her *MAX WOW! on Ryudo during tough battles.  
She also has a *MAX life-up to give her a little hp boost so she can 
hang in those long battles.  She's also a *MAX Skilled Item User.

Mareg: Hard as a rock.  One of his skills is a *MAX toughness which 
keeps him kicking for a while.  His *MAX abandonment keeps him moving 
fast and his *MAX Beast Fang Cut leaves enemies munching the ground in 
an instant.

Millenia: Same as Elena but uses her Heel Stomp move a lot to make the 
enemies a pushover.

Tio: Quick and agile, Tio is the fastest member of my party.  All of 
her accessories increase her SPD, AGI, and evasion stats.  Since she's 
so fast but her HP is low, she's often defending.  When fighting large 
amounts of enemies, her fast speed gives her the opportunity to evade 
and let another character counter the monster attacking her.  She moves 
the fastest on the IP bar so is usually the first to cancel an enemy's 
attack.

Everyone in my party is Level 54.

=======================================================================
IX. Tips
=======================================================================

Tip: Whenever you see an enemy, hide behind something (or just stand 
still).  When they turn around, run into them from behind.  If you do 
this, when the battle starts you surrounded the enemy and have 
initiative.  When you have initiative I'd recommend using strong 
group/area magic to wipe out the enemies quickly.  This doesn't work 
for bosses obviously.  If you run into the enemy when they are flashing 
red, the battle starts normally, with your team on one side and your 
enemies on the other side.  However, if your enemy runs into you from 
behind, you are surprised and all the enemies get to attack first.  To 
prevent this, never turn your back on an enemy no matter how far/close 
they are.

Tip: Whenever you attack/get attacked you gain a small amount of SP.  
If you get attacked while blocking you gain a larger amount of SP.  
There are a few skills and accessories that allow you to gain more SP 
from attacks, and there are also skills that raise your maximum SP.  I 
will hopefully cover these in a future version of this FAQ.

=======================================================================
X. Coming Soon
=======================================================================

These are a few features that I plan to add in future updates of this 
FAQ:

- Recovery/Attack Item Listing
- List of Skills and Magic
- Anything you might suggest

=======================================================================
XI. Conclusion
=======================================================================

I hope you enjoyed this FAQ and that it helped you in some way.  If you 
have a question about something that isn't mentioned in the FAQ, or 
isn't listed in the coming soon section (see section X, above) then go 
ahead and e-mail me at: Props08@aol.com.  Thank you for reading this 
FAQ.  Goodbye ^_^

"Sworn Enemies, you shall be defeated!" 
Ryudo & Melfice, Grandia II
