A full list of the Special Abilities that your characters can learn through the Sphere Grid. Many of the Special Abilities are designed for use by one character early on in the game and many of them do not require any MP to use. All characters can learn all of the Specials though when they obtain enough AP.
These Abilities are different than the Auto-Abilities that characters can add to their Weapons and Armor. Head to the Abilities section to find those listings.
The Abilities are listed in the same order as they are within the game. Click on the “Alphabetical” tab to view them in alphabetical order instead.
Steal
Description:
“Steal items from enemy.”
Effect:
Can be used to steal items from enemies and bosses during a battle. This Special can also be used instantly kill Machina-type enemies and open treasure chests during a battle. You can steal rare items by equipping a character with the Master Thief ability.
Note that many enemies have a common steal slot and a rare steal slot. You can continue to use Steal until you obtain all of the items in an enemy’s possession.
Cost:
None
Use
Description:
“Use special items.”
Effect:
This special allows a character to use items in battle, but more specifically, this allows them to use “Use Items” (with this icon: ) rather than just those items which appear under the standard “Item” command that all characters have access to.
Check out the Use Items subsection for additional details.
Cost:
None
Flee
Description:
“Aid party’s escape from battle.”
Effect:
Using this command will allow your party to escape from enemies. It won’t work on extremely powerful enemies or on bosses but it can be used in the Monster Arena if you need to end a battle early.
Cost:
None
Pray
Description:
“Restores some HP to all allies.”
Effect:
This Special will heal all party members for a small amount of HP. It is a quick and easy way to heal HP without using MP or items. Its effects are increased depending on the user’s Magic stat.
Cost:
None
Cheer
Description:
“Raises party’s Strength and Defense.”
Effect:
This Special allows a character to increase the Strength and the Defense of all party members. It can be used up to 5 times on each party member and the effects will last for the remainder of the battle.
Cheer can be used even if a character already has their Strength or Defense stat maxed (at 255). It is a very effective means of increasing the amount of damage done by your team and reducing the amount of physical damage done by enemies and bosses.
Cost:
None
Aim
Description:
“Raises party’s Accuracy.”
Effect:
This Special adds 10% to the Accuracy stat of each character on the battlefield. It can be helpful for increasing the likelihood of physical attacks hitting enemies with high evasion (for example, flying enemies).
This Special has limited applications during the game as you can use other strategies for attacking enemies with high Evasion such as using Wakka or using magic attacks.
Cost:
None
Focus
Description:
“Raises party’s Magic and Magic Defense.”
Effect:
This Special increases each party member’s Magic and Magic Defense stat. The effects of this Special stack up to 5 times per party member and last until the end of the fight.
Focus has a few points during the game where it is fairly useful at increasing the damage done by your party and/or reducing the damage done by certain bosses.
Cost:
None
Reflex
Description:
“Raises party’s Evasion.”
Effect:
This Special increases each party member’s Evasion stat. This Special’s effects can be stacked up to 5 times and last until the end of the fight. There are very few points where increasing Evasion makes the fight much easier.
Cost:
None
Luck
Description:
“Raises party’s Luck.”
Effect:
This Special increases each party member’s Luck stat which subsequently increases their chance of scoring a critical hit with their attacks and spells. Critical hits increase the amount of damage done by an attack and the screen flashes white when you successfully execute one (entirely at random).
The effects of Luck stack up to 5 times and last throughout the duration of the fight. This Special is of limited value but can be useful for buffing your party while in a holding pattern (such as when waiting for a distant enemy to move closer).
Cost:
None
Jinx
Description:
“Lowers all enemies’ Luck.”
Effect:
This Special decreases an enemies Luck stat which in turn reduces an enemies chance to dodge attacks and increases your party member’s chance of landing a critical hit. The effect can be stacked up to 5 times but most of the more powerful enemies are immune to its effects.
Cost:
None
Lancet
Description:
“Absorb HP & MP from an enemy.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to absorb a small amount of HP and MP from the enemy.
Any character can use Lancet, however this is the move that Kimahri must use in order to learn new abilities from fiends for his Ronso Rage Overdrive.
Cost:
None
Guard
Description:
“Take damage for an ally.”
Effect:
This Special can be used by a character to take damage for another character. They will jump in front and take any physical damage done to other party members. This Special is of limited value as it doesn’t reduce the overall amount of damage done to your party, unlike Sentinel.
Cost:
None
Sentinel
Description:
“Guard allies while in defensive stance.”
Effect:
This Special can be used by a character to take damage for another character. They will jump in front and take any physical damage done to other party members. This Special is of limited value but is slightly stronger than Guard as it reduces the overall damage done.
Cost:
None
Spare Change
Description:
“Attack by throwing gil.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to deal damage by spending gil. Each 10 gil you throw deals 1 point of damage.
Cost:
None
Threaten
Description:
“Immobilize an enemy with fear.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to immobilize an enemy and prevent them from attacking. This Special is of limited value though because it does not work on powerful enemies or bosses.
Cost:
12 MP to use
Provoke
Description:
“Draw an enemy’s attacks towards you.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to force an enemy focus its attacks on the user. It can also be used on certain enemies (such as Malboros) to prevent them from using their Breath attack.
Cost:
4 MP to use
Entrust
Description:
“Contribute your Overdrive charge to an ally’s gauge.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to transfer a user’s Overdrive gauge to the target party member.
Cost:
8 MP to use
Copycat
Description:
“Mimic an ally’s previous action.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to have a party member mimic the last move used by a party member. The most effective way to utilize it is to use Copycat after another character uses a powerful skill or attack. For example, after a party member uses Doublecast and a powerful spell.
Cost:
28 MP to use
Pilfer Gil
Description:
“Steal gil from enemy.”
Effect:
This Special only exists in the HD Remaster version of the game. It inflicts damage while stealing gil and the amount of gil stolen each turn is reduced by 50%. There are more effective ways of Earning Gil though besides using this Special.
Cost:
20 MP to use
Quick Pockets
Description:
“Switfly use items.”
Effect:
This Special allows a character to use items faster and with a quicker recovery time.
Cost:
70 MP to use
Doublecast
Description:
“Cast two black magic spells in a row.”
Effect:
This Special allows a character to cast two Black Magic spells during the same turn. It greatly increases the amount of damage done by your magic users (specifically Lulu).
Cost:
None
Bribe
Description:
“Pay enemies gil to go away.”
Effect:
This Special allows a character to Bribe enemies. Bribed enemies will typically give a different set of items as a reward when the battle is over. Check out the Bribe List for additional information.
Quite often Bribe will fail, even if you used the right amount of gil. This happens because Bribe still only has a certain percentage chance of working each time you use it, even when you have bribed a fiend with the right amount of gil. After you have used Bribe and given over enough gil, use Bribe again but this time just give it 1 gil each time. This will give you more attempts at making sure bribe is successful.
Cost:
None
Aim
Description:
“Raises party’s Accuracy.”
Effect:
This Special adds 10% to the Accuracy stat of each character on the battlefield. It can be helpful for increasing the likelihood of physical attacks hitting enemies with high evasion (for example, flying enemies).
This Special has limited applications during the game as you can use other strategies for attacking enemies with high Evasion such as using Wakka or using magic attacks.
Cost:
None
Bribe
Description:
“Pay enemies gil to go away.”
Effect:
This Special allows a character to Bribe enemies. Bribed enemies will typically give a different set of items as a reward when the battle is over. Check out the Bribe List for additional information.
Quite often Bribe will fail, even if you used the right amount of gil. This happens because Bribe still only has a certain percentage chance of working each time you use it, even when you have bribed a fiend with the right amount of gil. After you have used Bribe and given over enough gil, use Bribe again but this time just give it 1 gil each time. This will give you more attempts at making sure bribe is successful.
Cost:
None
Cheer
Description:
“Raises party’s Strength and Defense.”
Effect:
This Special allows a character to increase the Strength and the Defense of all party members. It can be used up to 5 times on each party member and the effects will last for the remainder of the battle.
Cheer can be used even if a character already has their Strength or Defense stat maxed (at 255). It is a very effective means of increasing the amount of damage done by your team and reducing the amount of physical damage done by enemies and bosses.
Cost:
None
Copycat
Description:
“Mimic an ally’s previous action.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to have a party member mimic the last move used by a party member. The most effective way to utilize it is to use Copycat after another character uses a powerful skill or attack. For example, after a party member uses Doublecast and a powerful spell.
Cost:
28 MP to use
Doublecast
Description:
“Cast two black magic spells in a row.”
Effect:
This Special allows a character to cast two Black Magic spells during the same turn. It greatly increases the amount of damage done by your magic users (specifically Lulu).
Cost:
None
Entrust
Description:
“Contribute your Overdrive charge to an ally’s gauge.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to transfer a user’s Overdrive gauge to the target party member.
Cost:
8 MP to use
Flee
Description:
“Aid party’s escape from battle.”
Effect:
Using this command will allow your party to escape from enemies. It won’t work on extremely powerful enemies or on bosses but it can be used in the Monster Arena if you need to end a battle early.
Cost:
None
Focus
Description:
“Raises party’s Magic and Magic Defense.”
Effect:
This Special increases each party member’s Magic and Magic Defense stat. The effects of this Special stack up to 5 times per party member and last until the end of the fight.
Focus has a few points during the game where it is fairly useful at increasing the damage done by your party and/or reducing the damage done by certain bosses.
Cost:
None
Guard
Description:
“Take damage for an ally.”
Effect:
This Special can be used by a character to take damage for another character. They will jump in front and take any physical damage done to other party members. This Special is of limited value as it doesn’t reduce the overall amount of damage done to your party, unlike Sentinel.
Cost:
None
Jinx
Description:
“Lowers all enemies’ Luck.”
Effect:
This Special decreases an enemies Luck stat which in turn reduces an enemies chance to dodge attacks and increases your party member’s chance of landing a critical hit. The effect can be stacked up to 5 times but most of the more powerful enemies are immune to its effects.
Cost:
None
Lancet
Description:
“Absorb HP & MP from an enemy.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to absorb a small amount of HP and MP from the enemy.
Any character can use Lancet, however this is the move that Kimahri must use in order to learn new abilities from fiends for his Ronso Rage Overdrive.
Cost:
None
Luck
Description:
“Raises party’s Luck.”
Effect:
This Special increases each party member’s Luck stat which subsequently increases their chance of scoring a critical hit with their attacks and spells. Critical hits increase the amount of damage done by an attack and the screen flashes white when you successfully execute one (entirely at random).
The effects of Luck stack up to 5 times and last throughout the duration of the fight. This Special is of limited value but can be useful for buffing your party while in a holding pattern (such as when waiting for a distant enemy to move closer).
Cost:
None
Pilfer Gil
Description:
“Steal gil from enemy.”
Effect:
This Special only exists in the HD Remaster version of the game. It inflicts damage while stealing gil and the amount of gil stolen each turn is reduced by 50%. There are more effective ways of Earning Gil though besides using this Special.
Cost:
20 MP to use
Pray
Description:
“Restores some HP to all allies.”
Effect:
This Special will heal all party members for a small amount of HP. It is a quick and easy way to heal HP without using MP or items. Its effects are increased depending on the user’s Magic stat.
Cost:
None
Provoke
Description:
“Draw an enemy’s attacks towards you.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to force an enemy focus its attacks on the user. It can also be used on certain enemies (such as Malboros) to prevent them from using their Breath attack.
Cost:
4 MP to use
Quick Pockets
Description:
“Switfly use items.”
Effect:
This Special allows a character to use items faster and with a quicker recovery time.
Cost:
70 MP to use
Reflex
Description:
“Raises party’s Evasion.”
Effect:
This Special increases each party member’s Evasion stat. This Special’s effects can be stacked up to 5 times and last until the end of the fight. There are very few points where increasing Evasion makes the fight much easier.
Cost:
None
Sentinel
Description:
“Guard allies while in defensive stance.”
Effect:
This Special can be used by a character to take damage for another character. They will jump in front and take any physical damage done to other party members. This Special is of limited value but is slightly stronger than Guard as it reduces the overall damage done.
Cost:
None
Spare Change
Description:
“Attack by throwing gil.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to deal damage by spending gil. Each 10 gil you throw deals 1 point of damage.
Cost:
None
Steal
Description:
“Steal items from enemy.”
Effect:
Can be used to steal items from enemies and bosses during a battle. This Special can also be used instantly kill Machina-type enemies and open treasure chests during a battle. You can steal rare items by equipping a character with the Master Thief ability.
Note that many enemies have a common steal slot and a rare steal slot. You can continue to use Steal until you obtain all of the items in an enemy’s possession.
Cost:
None
Threaten
Description:
“Immobilize an enemy with fear.”
Effect:
This Special can be used to immobilize an enemy and prevent them from attacking. This Special is of limited value though because it does not work on powerful enemies or bosses.
Cost:
12 MP to use
Use
Description:
“Use special items.”
Effect:
This special allows a character to use items in battle, but more specifically, this allows them to use “Use Items” (with this icon: ) rather than just those items which appear under the standard “Item” command that all characters have access to.
Check out the Use Items subsection for additional details.
Master Thief ability.
) rather than just those items which appear under the standard “Item” command that all characters have access to.
Sentinel.
