________________________________________________________________________
| F I N A L  F A N T A S Y  T A C T I C S | Straight Character Challenge
                [presented in THX surround sound]
  ##===##=====#==                            written by MunkiBleedsGreen
  ||== ||==  ||  <==Bad Ascii              (lookitsmunki@nofx.com) 2001
  ||   ||    ||    At It's Worst            {best viewed at full screen}
________________________________________________________________________

Foreword: This FAQ has been compiled by me through an on running post of
mine on the FFT message board at GameFAQs.com. While I did my fair share
of the research, much of this document came from a large group of people
whom I will thank later on. I do not claim to be the originator of much
of this information, but I have received all of their consent as to post
this on this topic. Without further ado, I present to you the
Straight Character's Challenge.
______________________________________________________________________

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
|Table of Contents\______________
|1. FAQ Information               \
|    1.1 Updates/Version          /
|    1.2 Needs                    \
|    1.3 Upcoming/News            /
|2. The Challenge Basics          \
|    2.1 Introduction             /
|    2.2 Rules and Regulations    \
|    2.3 Comments on Classes      /
|3. The Strategies                \
|    3.1 Generic Strategies       /
|    3.2 Job Class Specific       \
|4. Miscellaneous                 /
|    4.1 FAQ                      \
|    4.2 The Thanks               /
|    4.3 Random Stuff             \
|_________________________________/


-_-_-_-_-_-_       ________________
|Section 1  \_____/ FAQ Information \___________________________________

-1.1- Updates/Version

V0.2-May 3rd, 2001- Well, thank the great CJayC, this FAQ has made it
                    online. I'm going to fix up the thanks a bit and
                    begin putting up the job class specific area. I
                    have a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm willing to
                    do as much as possible. Strategies and more thanks
                    are still to come.


-1.2- Needs

        -I'm always in need of Class Specific strategies. Credit will be
         given to the senders in all cases. Please, e-mail me at
         Lookitsmunki@nofx.com, or post under one of the relevant topics
         at the FFT message board. I also need a lot more time to work on
         this... Oh, if you believe that you have better Basic Descriptions
         of the Classes, send them along my way. Anything you want to add
         at all is plenty welcome.


-1.3- Upcoming/News

        -I need to finish up a few more job class basics and such, and then
         I move onto the Class Specific Strategies. I have a lot of
         information already, so it will take a while before it's all done
         and ready. Well, back to the rat races.
_________________________________________________________________________


-_-_-_-_-_-_                      _________________
|Section 2  \____________________/ Challenge Basics \____________________

-2.1- Introduction

     Well now, surely many of you are familiar with the Squaresoft game,
Final Fantasy Tactics. If you're not, are you really that bored and dull
of a person to go checking out FAQs for games that you don't know about?
Shame, shame on you! Well, for the rest of you, it has always been a
common complaint that this game is, with the exception of a few battles,
too easy. However, the job system of Tactics keeps us all addicted to its'
gameplay and in love with the game itself.

     Another complaint is the uselessness of certain job classes, and the
abuse of more powerful ones. As a supporter of the less popular classes,
and someone who adamantly believes this game should be harder, I went out
and did something. I devised a bit of a challenge for us all. Perhaps I
didn't devise it, but I definitely popularized it.

     The basic idea of this challenge: play with only one job class. This,
ultimately, creates new challenges abound. Old battles, once thought easy,
suddenly smack you in the face. Old skills you once ignored suddenly find
reborn usage. Most importantly, you find a new appreciation for job classes
you may have not regarded so highly.

     Does this interest you? If it does, read on, young warrior, and enter
the Straight Job Class world.


-2.2- Rules and Regulations

 >>1. Party must consist of 5 Characters, all set to the same job class.
      Characters must attain Job before Dorter Trade City, and remain in
      that class.

 >>2. Characters can not use any other abilities of any other class at all.
      Any Support, Movement, and Reaction skills must come from their own
      Job Class.

 >>3. Special Characters are not allowed, as their enhanced growth can
      dilude the challenge.

 >>4. High leveling up is not allowed either. The following Level Caps have
      been set as maximums for all job classes:
          -Chapter 1: 20
          -Chapter 2: 35
          -Chapter 3: 50
          -Chapter 4: 70
      However, remember to use your judgement. These levels shouldn't be
      approached with most classes. The stronger your class, the lower your
      levels should accordingly be.

 >>5. Again, you may not use Gained JP Up, Secret Hunt, Move-Find Item, etc.
      unless your character naturally has it in their class. This is the
      same as rule #2, but I need to state it twice because this is the most
      common mistake.

 >>6. Guest Characters can become whatever you wish. A strong Algus and
      Delita are pretty much requried to beat early battles for many classes.
      Guest Characters may be stripped of their equipment.

 >>7. Important to Mediators: Monsters can NOT be recruited. If a Human is
      recruited through Invite, he must be stripped and then kicked out. Any
      Special Character can also be stripped and then removed.

 >>8. If you have a problem in the game, namely Wiegraf, use your better
      judgement. Depending on how into your game you are,  judge whether or not
      to give yourself some leniency for this battle. Several classes may find
      it totally impossible to beat Wiegraf, such as Archers, Thieves, and
      Bards, and thus give yourself some leg room in this fight if you need it.

 >>9. Later in the game, at Chapter 4, you may use a full party of Special
      Characters in a few random battles, just for the sake of your sanity.
      This applies mostly to people with very tedious jobs like Summoners,
      Mediators, and Bard/Dancers. Special Characters may NEVER be used in
      Story Battles.

 >>10. The tenth rule of the Straight Character challenge is... don't tell
       anyone about the Straight Character challenge... unless you really
       want to, then I guess it's okay ^_^


-2.3- Comments On Classes

     General comments on each class are listed here. This is intended to
     interest you into playing different classes and trying as many
     challenges as possible.

     <Squire> Though seemingly difficult, Ramza will be a key figure with
     his power and equips. Cheer Up is very helpful. However, Throw Stone
     isn't much against a Zodiac Monster, eh?

     <Chemist>Perhaps the "safest" of all classes. Their healing and reviving
     is quite nice and comes in handy in ALL situations. However, their
     battle power is horrible throughout most of the game, and their mediocre
     stats can hold you back.

     <Knight>The slow, powerful warrior. High battle power will make early
     fights easier than most. However, a complete lack of long range attacks
     causes them to rely on melee fighting, and evasion. Handy ability set,
     but vulnerable.

     <Archer>The first class I ever tried this challenge with. Their attacks
     are crap early on. However, their long range superiority makes most
     random battles a breeze. There are some story battles which give them
     advantages, but there are many more which totally handicap them.

     <Wizard>A real conundrum of possibilities here. Waiting for enemies to
     come to you and then unloading with powerful spells seems pretty
     effective, but when enemies with low Faith or better Speed come around,
     you could find yourself in a lot of trouble.

     <Priest>The second job class I know to have been started in this
     Straight Challenge campaign (Maligant did it, go Mal...). They have
     healing, revival, auto-revival, protection, and even one of the
     strongest attack spells in the game, as well as balanced stats and good
     Speed. Don't forget though, for the better part of the game, enemies
     will be killed with their sticks, and their healing and revival is quite
     unreliable.

     <Monk>A powerful class, in both stats and skillsets. The obvious
     advantages come in HP healing, status curing, revival, and long range
     attacks. High Brave characters will dominate the game early on, and moves
     like Wave Fist and Earth Slash will become powerful staples to strategy.
     Remember though, they do have pretty poor HP. Still a fun class.

     <Thief>Obvious advantages come in the Steal set. You can get nice EXP
     early on, some equipment you couldn't get otherwise from Secret Hunt
     and the Steals, and even the glorious Move and Jump +2s. They have
     great Speed too! Of course, they have horrible PA and must depend on
     the very very "iffy" Steal Heart to do their damage for them. Also,
     they have low HP, and no actual long range attacking. Don't even get
     me started on how they can beat Wiegraf or Velius...

     <Time Mage>Another fun magic class. They have a good ability set which
     can be made great use of very early on, much moreso than other mages.
     They have one of the best arguable movement skills, and one of the
     potentially strongest Support Skills too. However, aside from the
     undependable Meteor and Demis, they have no real attack power.
     They must be drawn into melee combat, where they are quite weak.

     <Summoner>A lot can be said for wide range attacks that can be pulled
     off from many many Squares away. Target Unit, and run. Sounds pretty
     effective, no? They have healing, attack, and protection, too! Then
     you remember: They have low HP and below par Speed. Also, until you
     get their precious Support, your Summons better get the job done
     the first time, or you'll be left with guys in funny hats and no MP.

     <Geomancer>A very versatile class which I have always touted as a
     wonderful job. They have a good assortment of equipment to make use
     of, and have great melee combat, and good long range attacks too.
     Attack Up comes in handy. On the down side, they only have average
     HP, which isn't good for a close range fighter, and their abilities
     do little damage.

     <Lancer>With their Jumping prowess, good movement ability, great
     reaction ability, and high PA, you may mistake Lancers as a
     generally very easy class. But remember: Chapter 1 will be spent
     without any weapons. And your Jump skills will require a few thousand
     JP to be useful. Long road ahead.

     <Oracle>Another fun class. Their status abilities can make battles
     terrifically fun, or downright frustrating. It all depends on Faith
     values, and your luck. Early power spells like Paralyze and Drain
     Life only grow stronger as time goes by, and they have a two space
     range weapon which packs a punch. Just remember, they are by no means
     tanks, and fall prey easily to melee combat. It's really a matter
     of luck...

     <Mediator>An interesting challenge to say the least. You must now
     make use of all those skills which most of us have ignored in the
     past. Psst, Mimic Daravon can be quite useful. You end up playing
     these guys much like Thieves, only their Invite skills are a bit
     better. Remember to check the Rules and Regulations on these guys
     too. Their downsides? Low HP, weak attacks throughout the game,
     and very undependable skills.

     <Ninja>A favourite among Tactics players, the Ninja remain a
     strong choice for this challenge. Despite some possible difficulty
     in getting the class, once there you will find certain battles to
     be heaven, and others to be hell. Great PA, and simply excellent
     melee and long range attacks, accompanied by a high move rate and
     Speed make Ninja one of the most powerful classes in this Challenge.
     Still, they have their weaknesses. Their HP probably won't ever
     break the 200s.

     <Samurai>I'll be blunt with this. Their skillset is the most varied
     set in the game, and has a LOT of power. Early on, they'll be
     extremely weak, but once the Samurai Swords appear, prepare for a
     much more entertaining game. The big drawback of this otherwise
     excellent class? Gil. You'll need it by the ton to keep up with
     their expensive hobby of smashing swords.

     <Bard>Hah. Well I won't say this isn't possible. Their battles
     mostly concist of playing the waiting game, hoping to gain enough
     Speed and PA in order to wreck the opposing side. They have terrible
     PA and HP, and their skills take forever to pull off. Still, it's
     definitely possible.

     <Dancer>This of course isn't possible to do with a full team. Ramza
     plays the part of the Bard, and this makes this scenario a tiny bit
     easier, and it certainly needs it. Again, the game reverts to you
     running and hiding from foes while their performances slowly chip
     away at them.

     <Mime>Yes, this is actually slightly possible. It hasn't proven to
     be impossible, that is. PhoenixWing took this upon himself, and I'm
     not sure where he is right now. Their PA is adequate to turn them
     into melee forces, but without any skills, winning seems like a long
     shot. As Phoenix says, a Mime is a Monk with no abilities.

     <Calculator> Impossible. With the regulations of this challenge,
     they are limited to Math Skills with no abilities to draw from.
     Then they all die from a few Chocobos. The End. Game Over.
_______________________________________________________________________


-_-_-_-_-_-_                                    _________________
|Section 3  \__________________________________/ Class Strategies \_____

-3.1- Generic Strategies

  \Proper Team\
   When starting the game, you'll probably find that the characters the
   game has generated for you are't very good for your chosen class.
   In this case, dump every single one of them that doesn't fit in
   after Gariland. With this money, you will then be able to find better
   characters who fit your class. Make sure to get good Brave/Faith Levels
   and the proper gender, and under the right circumstances, properly
   aligned Zodiacs.

  \Getting There\
   If you aren't playing Squire or Chemist, you will have to get your guys
   the right specifications for their job. This is usually easy. Go back
   and forth across Mandalia and Sweegy. Save very often, because it only
   takes a few Chocobos to take you out sometimes. If you really must, use
   Gained JP Up until you can get into your job. Upgrade your characters
   as it comes, and the challenge of the random fights should diminish.

  \High Level Jobs\
   You've chosen a job in the third Tier (Oracle, Mediator, Lancer, Geomancer)
   or a complex job like Samurai, Ninja, Bard, Dancer, or Mime,  and now that
   you've gotten them enough Job Levels, you notice that your Level is kind of
   high for where you are. If you are a true purist, now is the time to make
   use of the Degenerator Trap in the ditch of Zeklaus Desert. Level down a bit,
   if only to keep the challenge consistent.

  \Speed\
   A key statistic in many battles is Speed. I've heard many times of one point
   of Speed being enough to push the player to victory. Thus, remember that
   if you're stuck at Golgorand, Lionel, or any other location, most non
   Thief/Ninja class gets to Speed 7 at around Level 18, 8 at around 35,
   9 at around 52, and 10 at around 69. Past this, the level cap for the
   Chapters is broken, so it's irrelevant to this challenge.

  \Riovanes Castle\
   For many jobs, this could be the breaking point. Some Jobs, like Mediator,
   Archer, Thief, and Bard/Dancer, may find it impossible to defeat Wiegraf.
   Others simply can't damage Velius enough. Worst yet is the Rooftop Brawl.
   Speed is key here, so what if you're a slow class? Well then, take another
   way out. Get creative and get around your difficulties.
   -Archer, for example, can become a Knight with Equip Crossbow, to retain
   the Archer's original intent. Now, with Chameleon Robe and Feather Boots,
   it becomes possible to defeat Wiegraf.
   -Velius just takes a heavy assault and a lot of luck, as well as playing
   around with equipment. Take your time.
   -Finally, the Rooftop Battle also involves luck, but there's another way
   around it. Unequip one of your characters, and move them torwards the
   Assassins and Elmdor. They will now target THIS character, drawing
   attention from Rafa. Much thanks to TallgeeseVI and DragoonMRM for this
   great tip.


-3.2- Job Class Specific Strategies

  I. Squire - No Strat
  II. Chemist - No Strat
  III. Knight - No Strat
  IV. Archer - No Strat
  V. Wizard - No Strat
  VI. Priest - No Strat
  VII. Monk - No Strat
  VIII. Thief - No Strat
  IX. Time Mage - No Strat
  X. Summoner - No Strat
  XI. Geomancer - No Strat
  XII. Lancer - _Nothing_
  XIII. Mediator - _Nothing_
  XIV. Oracle - _Nothing_
  XV. Ninja - _Nothing_
  XVI. Samurai - _Nothing_
  XVII. Bard - _Nothing_
  XVIII. Dancer - _Nothing_
  XIX. Mime - No Strat


-I- Squire
    Recommended Party: 5 Males. High Brave, Low Faith.

    Advantages: Fast Growth, Throw Stone, Dash, Ramza's Special Squire
          Class Advantages.

    Disadvantages: Average Stats All Around, No Powerful Skills,
          Lacking Attacks, Lack of Useful Reaction or Support Ability

    Basics: Far be it for me to criticize a class, but when you think
           mediocrity, you think Squire. Most people would never logically
           bring a non-Ramza Squire into a battle after Chapter 1. Imagine
           going through the whole game as one. The big saving grace to
           this class is that Ramza actually is a good Squire and gets
           numerous advantages as one, including equipping Knight Swords.
           Namely, Excalibur. This is one of three classes that gets to
           boost their Brave, via Cheer Up, and the classic Ramza
           Yell/Accumulate or Scream strategy can be made use of. Early on,
           they can perform pretty well. With a cheap long range attack, Throw
           Stone can lead to getting them all of their abilities quickly,
           and even weaken enemies after a few throws. Dash is an indispensable
           Squire ability. The 100% hit is nice, but the best thing is the
           fact that it doesn't trigger Reaction Abilities. This should be used
           to your advantage. Most of this game's difficulty lie in the fact
           that only one of your units is truly useful. Still, the challenge
           is worth a shot. Hey, they even get Gained JP and Move+1!

    Set Up: Basic Skills / Counter Tackle / Defend / Move+1

    Battle Strategies: Under Construction


-II- Chemist
    Recommended Party: 5 Males. High Brave, Mid-Faith.

    Advantages: Reliable Healing, Revival, Long Range Healing, Guns,
          Auto Potion, Move-Find Item, Status Negation.

    Disadvantages: Low HP, No Early Long Range Attacks, Never a Physical
          Powerhouse.

    Basics: A very defensive unit. Access to this class is immediate.
          Early on, Knives will prove to be pretty useless against most
          enemies. However, their healing should keep them alive. The
          "Lure then Surrond" strategy will have to be used until you
          have access to Guns. In Chapter 1, you'll find yourself
          probably depending on Delita and Algus for the majority of
          the kills. Once you get Guns, though, your Snipers will be
          able to kill many enemies from great distance in a few attacks.
          They can benefit from Deep Dungeon, and are actually the only
          ones besides Thieves or Summoners who can do so. It will take
          a great amount of trouble, but they can rack up a lot of rare
          and beneficial equipment.

    Set Up: Item, Auto Potion / Equip Change / Move-Find Item

    Battle Strategies: Under Construction


-III- Knight
     Recommended Party: 5 Males. High Brave, Low Faith.

     Advantages: High HP, High PA, Equipment Breaks, Weapon Guard,
          Knight Swords Late in Game.

     Disadvantages: Poor Movement, Battle Skills Sometimes Irrelevant,
          No Movement or Support Skills of Use, No Long Range Attacks.

     Basics: The walking tanks. These guys can have either very easy, or
          very hard fights. They are about unmatched in melee combat.
          Easily accesible, they will prove to dominate most of the early
          on fights. With Weapon Guard, Shields, and Mantles, they can
          become HIGHLY evasive. Stat Breaks are good for Random Battles
          and are a nice way to level up faster, and the Equipment Breaks
          can make short work of many story characters. However, they
          are handicapped in the area of manueverability. With a lower
          speed rating and a Move and Jump of 3, it may take a while for
          them to get going. Lack of any long range attack don't help either.
          Most often, the enemies will get the first attack. Later on in
          the game, Knight Swords (from Orlandu and Meliadoul) can enhance
          your party to no bounds. Just remember, a group of mages can
          really hack away at you, even with Low Faith.

     Set Up: Battle Skills / Weapon Guard

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction


-IV- Archer
     Recommended Party: 5 Males. High Brave, Low Faith.

     Advantages: Long Range Attacks, Concentrate, Speed Save, Can Attack From
          Nearly Anywhere, Low # Charge Skills.

     Disadvantages: Mediocre PA, Mediocre HP, Lack of Useful Abilities,
          Very Weak Weapons Late in Game, Occasional Awkward Attack Positions.

     Basics: Sure, we've all used them before a bit. And probably mocked them.
          They don't really deserve all the smack they get though. A well
          placed line of Archers can kill off an enemy faster than a well
          placed line of Chemists any day. Though their attacks are very
          innacurate, Concentrate more than makes up for that. Only Arrow
          Guard and Blade Grasp can stop their assault then. The biggest
          drawback to these guys come when facing enemies head to head.
          Usually, they can't draw back fast enough before they get way
          too damaged. Some battles can really drag on, as well. A dropped
          Archer often results in a crystal appearing pretty soon. Also,
          it is 99% likely that Archer Ramza CAN NOT defeat Wiegraf one on
          one. This isn't a unique situation, though...

     Set Up: Charge, Speed Save, Concentrate, Jump+1

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction


-V- Wizard
     Recommended Party: Ramza + 4 Females. High Brave, High Faith.

     Advantages: Long Range Magic, Powerful Spells, Counter Magic,
          Magic Attack Up, Strength Only Limited To Growth, Flare

     Disadvantages: Horrible PA and HP, Can Run Out of MP, Expensive Abilities
          Needs High Faith (Heavier Damage From Magic), No Movement Ability

     Basics: These guys can be miniature war machines. They must stick
          with the "Wait and See" strategy of battle. The cross panel spells
          will prove to be endlessly useful. However, you must be very
          careful with your usage of Magic, especially earlier on. Without
          a method of regaining MP, they can be left helpless. In Chapter 1,
          for story battles, it's best to let Delita and Algus do the
          load of the work and only toss a few spells around. They work
          wonders in Assassination scenarios, and it is actually a nice
          strategy to kamikaze them into your target, knowing full well
          that at least one will get a spell off. However, you can't always
          charge them head on. That would be a very BAD idea. Counter Magic
          pays off nicely against enemy mages. It takes forever to get
          some of their best abilities, so you may want to have each learn
          only one element. And by "Strength Limited Only to Growth", I mean
          that they don't depend on their Equipment and what the stores
          can sell them for their power. They can simply learn a new spell
          and take a huge step up.

     Set Up: Black Magic / Counter Magic / Magic Attack Up

     Battle Strategies:  Under Construction


-VI- Priest
     Recommended Party: Ramza + 4 Females. High Brave, High Faith.

     Advantages: Healing, Revival, Status Curing, Above Average Speed,
          Holy, Regenerator

     Disadvantages: Pre-Holy Difficulty, Holy's MP Cost, Dependence on
          Holy, Limited Non-Holy Offense, Notice a Pattern?

     Basics: So they have one of the strongest magical attacks in the
          game. That certainly isn't going to help early on though.
          Priests will be forced to stick with the "Bait, Lure, Swarm"
          strategy early on. Their Curing, Protection, and Revival are
          unmatched in power, but not very effective in their advanced
          forms, due to long charge times. Still, the regular spells can
          provide aid enough, and the sronger ones are still useful.
          Regenerator is bound to become a favourite Reaction ability, and
          really pays off for the less than stellar HP Priests. Once you
          have reliable access to Holy, where you can cast it at least once
          and still have enough MP to finish the fight, battles will become
          a bit easier. Especially assassination missions. A fun job, with
          more than enough power to it to survive.

     Set Up: White Magic / Regenerator / Magic Defense Up

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-VII- Monk
     Recommended Party: 5 Males. High Brave, Low Faith.

     Advantages: High PA, Long Range Attacks, Healing, Revival, Status
           Curing, Variety of Skills, Counter, Restore HP, Hamedo

     Disadvantages: Lower HP, No Armor, No Hats/Helmets, Some Skills'
           Use Questionable, Not Very Manueverable

     Basics: The real heavy hitters. You wouldn't imagine just how strong
           a team of High Brave Monks can really be until you use them.
           I'm sure you have an idea though. Multiply that one thousand
           fold. Early in the game, they are more than safe. With powerful,
           non-weapon based attacks, and more healing than is even
           necessary, they are one of the few jobs that can breeze through
           Chapter 1 relatively easy. When in a dangerous battle, be careful
           to keep endangered characters from being trapped around non-level
           ground, or Revive will be useless. Keep your team together and
           designate a healer. Utilize their various abilities too. Secret
           Fist definitely can be made use of. Your only weakness would be
           Mage types on high ground, or fast moving characters, like Ninja
           or hasted enemies. Otherwise, they always stand a good chance.

     Set Up: Punch Art / [Reaction Ability Can Fit Situation] / Move-HP Up

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction


-VIII- Thief
     Recommended Party: 2 Males, 3 Females. High Brave, Low Faith.

     Advantages: Steal Heart, Steal EXP, Move/Jump+2, Speed, Equipment
            Stealing, Secret Hunt

     Disadvantages: Low HP, Low PA, Main Offense is Risky, No Good Reaction
            Ability, Problems With Misproportionate Enemy Genders

     Basics: A tricky little group to go through with. Their most obvious,
            and most necessary attack is, of course, Steal Heart. Using an
            enemy against the rest is most often their only way out. However,
            this isn't a good thing. More Male characters are found throughout
            the game, so this would probably push you to get 4 Females. However,
            they have Lower HP and PA than the rest, putting them at risk.
            Another drawback to the strategy is that it has a poor chance of
            success in neutral Zodiac cases (50+MA%). On an even lower note, the
            most obvious candidates for these attacks, Story enemy's like
Gafgarion
            for example, can NOT be charmed. Big problem. However, their high
            move rate, accompanied by their movement skills, can take them
around
            the board several times before the enemy approaches, keeping them
            free of trouble usually. Their Secret Hunt skills can supply them
with
            the occasional nice piece of equipment later in the game, and can
            rid you of Undead. Most importantly, the Steal set can basically
            rape those uncharmable Story characters. Then again, Wiegraf has
            maintenance...

     Set Up: Steal / Caution / Secret Hunt / Move+2

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-IX- Time Mage
     Recommended Party: Ramza + 4 Females. High Brave, High Faith.

     Advantages: Haste, Don't Move, Critical Quick, Short Charge, Demi, Teleport
             Stop+Meteor Combo, Speed, Pointy Hats

     Disadvantages: Limited Offense All Around, Dependence On Halting Enemy,
             Skills Fade Quickly Early On

     Basics: It's kind of hard to find disadvantages to this Group. Then again,
            it's pretty hard to find a lot of ADVANTAGES too. Surely, their Time
            altering skills come in very handy. When wouldn't you want to
            speed your guys up and slow down, or even stop the enemy? The big
            irony here is that these abilities last for little more than a full
            AT or two until you bring your characters to higher levels, and
thus,
            higher Speeds. It'd imperative to Haste your group early on, and to
            abuse Don't Move. Rather than totally Lure in enemies, it pays off
            to bring them close, then stop them in their tracks and single them
            out. Time Mage skills cost relatively little MP, so they can keep
            this up for a while. Much like Oracles, winning a battle depends
            much on your luck and the enemies' Faith levels. Can't win if
            you can't hit them after all. Demi works wonders on Zodiac demons,
            and once you have it all, Short Charge, Stop, and Meteor becomes
            an ultimately powerful combo attack.

     Set Up: Time Magic / Critical Quick / Short Charge / Teleport

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-X- Summoner
     Recommended Party: Ramza + 4 Females. High Brave, High Faith.

     Advantages: Wide Summon Range, Powerful Spells, Healing, Protection,
             Odin, Bahamut.

     Disadvantages: Huge MP Cost Before Half MP, Slow, Low HP, Poor Movement,
             No Good Reactoin Abilities

     Basics: Another assassination oriented job class. It certainly is fun
            to tag an enemy with Odin and then run, knowing that their doom
            is impending. With a group of five, you may become a little board
            of hitting everything wiht summons and waiting so much, but it's
            for the better. In Story Battles, someone should always cast Golem,
            and your Summoners should be as far away as possible, casting some
            of the lower level Summons at their leisure. You won't need much
more
            than the basic elementals, Fairy, Odin, and Bahamut. The others,
aside
            from maybe Clops, don't come in too handy. Half of MP is definitely
            a blessing, but before you earn it, you may have to put up with the
            "staff 'em to death" strategy. They have a very easy time with any
            of the assassination battles, and Summoner Ramza can defeat Wiegraf
            with only a little bit of luck necessary. A strong, but tedious job.

     Set Up: Summon / Restore MP / Half of MP

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction.



-XI- Geomancer
     Recommended Party: 2 Males, 3 Females. High Brave, Low Faith.

     Advantages: Long Range Attacks, Elemental Status Effects, Attack
             Up, Shields, Good Melee Attacks, Balanced Growth

     Disadvantages: Elementals Are Weak, No Good Movement Ability,
             Outclassed By Many Enemies

     Basics: A favourite class of mine, I'll try not to be too bias. Think of
            Geomancers as weaker, long ranged Knights. They can use Swords,
            and can equip the ever powerful shields. Best yet, they also get
            access to the stat benefits of Clothes, Robes, and Hats. They have
            decent HP, and their PA and MA, which Elemental is based on, is
            usually about even for Females. The statuses inflicted by most
            elementals occur very often when they are used 5 times in a row.
            Best yet, they have Attack Up, which can turn them into powerful
            melee fighting machines. Now of course, the bad parts. To get a
            good Geo, you should probably use Females. This results in lower
            HP. And of course, the long range elementals don't deal that much
            damage at all. They only have an OK reaction ability, and their
            movement abilites are arguably the worst in the game. Their skill
            set isn't much more advanced than Knights, and isn't nearly as
            effective in story battles. Most strategy revolves around a lot
            of Elemental using, finishing the enemy off with a physical attack
            or two. Another good class, well balanced, and definitely with
            challenge.

     Set Up: Elemental / Counter Flood / Attack Up / Any Ground

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-XII- Lancer
     Recommended Party:

     Advantages:

     Disadvantages:

     Basics:

     Set Up: Jump / Dragon Spirit / Ignore Height

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-XIII- Mediator
     Recommended Party:

     Advantages:

     Disadvantages:

     Basics:

     Set Up: Talk Skill / Finger Guard [After B/F Enhancement] / Train

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-XIV- Oracle
     Recommended Party: Ramza + 4 Females. High Brave, High Faith.

     Advantages:

     Disadvantages:

     Basics:

     Set Up: Ying Yang Magic / Absorb Used MP / Defense Up / Move MP Up

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-XV- Ninja
     Recommended Party: 5 Males. High Brave, Low Faith.

     Advantages:

     Disadvantages:

     Basics:

     Set Up: Throw / Abandon / Move In Water

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-XVI- Samurai
     Recommended Party: 2 Males, 3 Females. High Brave, Low Faith.

     Advantages:

     Disadvantages:

     Basics:

     Set Up: Draw Out / Blade Grasp / Two Hands / Walk On Water

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-XVII- Bard
     Recommended Party: 5 Males.

     Advantages:

     Disadvantages:

     Basics:

     Set Up: Sing / MA Save / Move+3

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-XVIII- Dancer
     Recommended Party: Ramza (As Bard), 4 Females.

     Advantages:

     Disadvantages:

     Basics:

     Set Up: Dance / A Save / Fly

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction



-XIX- Mime
     Recommended Party: 5 Males. High Brave, Low Faith.

     Advantages: Good HP, Good PA, Speed

     Disadvantages: No Special Abilities, No Equipment, No Miming,
          No Long Range Attacks, Poor Movement, No Support Skills,
          No Reaction Abilities, No Movement Abilities

     Basics: Ridiculous. Ludicrous. Impossible? All these words describe
            the all Mime game very nicely. After a few centuries to get
            the adequate Job levels, the player is then further tortured
            by dealing with Equipmentless, Skill-less, Schmucks. Ignore,
            for a moment, that these characters aren't really Mimes anymore,
            but instead silly people wearing silly clothes, and look at
            what they DO have. Excellent HP, and powerful physical Attacks.
            Now, look back at the guys who got dressed in the dark inside
            some sort of Salvation Army center. Their only hope to win, ever,
            is to spread enemies out, then swarm and kill them one by one.
            Some would say this challenge is totally impossible. It hasn't
            been proven so... Wiegraf VS Ramza? Change Ramza for that battle
            to something good. Hard, very hard. Perhaps impossible, perhaps not.

     Set Up: None

     Battle Strategies: Under Construction


_______________________________________________________________________


-_-_-_-_-_-_                                               ______________       
                                     ___________
|Section 4  \_____________________________________________/ Miscellaneous\

-4.1- Frequently Asked Questions

 >>1. Why is this called the Straight Class Challenge?
     <<Because. Just because. It has nothing to do with heterosexuality,
       but you can pretend it does if you wish. Originally, I had a
       lot of off-colour comments to make about Priests who weren't
       Straight in their jobs, but then this FAQ wouldn't get posted
       now, would it? :)
 >>2. What's with the cookies?
     <<Cookies are baked goods that come in many flavours. They are well
       known to be sweet and delicious. Many people eat cookies. An
       estimated 10 out of 10 people eat, or know someone who eats cookies.
       It's an international trend that will never die. Oh yeah, they used
       to be my mascot of sorts. As of right now, I'm still taking
       applications for new ones. Current front runners are Tito Jackson
       and meatloaf. The food, not the person. Send in your application
       today!
 >>3. Isn't the Mime Challenge impossible?
     <<Heh well PhoenixWing hasn't reached that point in the game yet. Once
       he gets there, THEN we'll decide if it's impossible. And like I said,
       for that battle, I'd allow for some leniency... I'd stretch it further
       for Mimes because they just don't have anything to work with.
 >>More on the way.


-4.2- Thanks

 -Here's the most important part of this whole FAQ. Now, I'll list all
  the people who I have to thank for creating this FAQ with me. I am
  only the writer and co-creator, these people are the real brains
  behind the operation. If you'd like your e-mail address accompanying
  your name, or if my stupid brain forgot you, just mail me and say so.

 >>For Their Strategical, Yet To Be Posted Input:
   Maligant(The 2nd Straight Man... Ever), Cyrus Viruz(The 3rd Straight Man),
   RyuKaiser, Owvin,  PhoenixWing, TallgeeseVI, Dragoon MRM, Bahamut,
   Dr Goofy, thefool, Bloo Roo, AdamanBangle, CommanderJP, monkramza,
   Kantolin, Goblez, Saint Ajora, Ark5th
 >>The Rest of the [Straight Crew]
   Mousse, GrandCross, Storm Shadow, Neotericus, MagnusTheZero, Valdek,
   trc1986num2,  TimeMage113, RPGHarvester2000, MarvelousBob, ChronoTRobo32,
   GameGuru86, FFTPro, MysticGohan42, Gamer4Life, RamzaHevenlyKnight,
   IAmTheWheelman, Levianthan
 >>Last But Definitely Not Least
   The3rdOracle- For Being My Spellchecker :)
   AeroStar- For Being Some Sort of Stat Producing Robot
   Master Daravon- For Early Encouragement and Being a Genuine Genius


-4.3- Random Stuff
________________________
~*^H A L L  O F  F A M E^*~
________________________

MarvelousBob- Completed Wizard
TallgeeseVI- Completed Lancer
DragoonMRM- Completed Lancer
Dr Goofy- Completed Geomancer

If I'm missing you, or you've completed the challenge [honestly],
e-mail me to get added.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
This FAQ was generated from the topics "I Still Want A Cookie",
"Challenge: Straight Characters", "Who's Got The Cookie? I Got The
Cookie.", "The Cookie In It's Natural Habitat", and "Straight Character
Challenge Lives On". All of that weirdness occured on the Final Fantasy
Tactics Gameplay Message Board, starting on April 7th. The better half
of the entire topic was deleted by mods, or only exists on my hard drive
anymore. If you really really really want to see this stuff, e-mail me
and maybe I'll send some of the original posts, just for the heck of it,
because I'm a wild and crazy guy.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

______________
Update History
______________
V0.01-May 1st, 2001- This is the first offline version of the Straight
                     Character FAQ. No body will read this until it
                     hopefully is accepted, but what the hey. I posted
                     all the basic stuff, and soon I will begin on
                     strategy construction.
______________

This document is Shaun Pilling (AKA lookitsmunki@nofx.com or
MunkiBleedsGreen) GameFAQs is the ONLY place you should ever, and
probably will ever see it.

::rides his ostrich off onto the horizon, throwing cookies to all those
who gave their time to read this FAQ, or take the challenge::

I salute you all! A winner is you!
_________________________________________________________________________
