FF4 WB Races & Nationalities

FF4 Races:

Unlike many other Final Fantasy worlds, the world of FF4 includes only a small handful of races, two of which (Lunarians and Elves) are so rare that they should be excluded as an option from potential FF4 Campaign characters. The Elven and Lunarian writeups below instead represent characters whose origin includes either Elven or Lunarian ancestors. Thus, only four races are available to potential players, as detailed below.

Elven Descent

Characters of elven descent are individuals whose ancestors include the all-but-extinct race of the elves. While few such characters have any inkling of such a heritage, it has blessed them with agility and quickness beyond that of most humans. In general, such characters will have strongly human features, but characteristics such as slenderness, thin body hair, or slightly upswept ears may betray their heritage.

Lunarian Descent

These characters are descendent of a union between a Lunarian and a Human sometime in the past, although such unions were very rare. Most characters are completely unaware of their heritage. Such characters have no special distinguishing features, but tend to have greater natural talent in the magical arts than other humans.

FF4 Nationalities:

GMs wishing to allow for greater diversity may instead want to use the optional Nationalities ruleset. While characters may still choose from the four core races, human characters may instead alter their statlines based upon their home region. In each case, a character begins with the baseline of ten in each stat, and may raise and lower certain stats based upon the selection of their region. The total of all six stats must always equal 60 points.

Baron: May increase STR and/or MAG by 1-2 points; Reduce AGI and SPD by 1-3 points each.

Damcyan: May increase AGI and/or SPR by 1-2 points; Reduce STR and VIT by 1-3 points each.

Fabul: May increase STR by 1-3 points and/or VIT by 1-2 points; Reduce MAG and SPR by 1-3 points each.

Mysidia: May increase MAG by 1-2 points and/or SPR by 1-3 points; Reduce STR and AGI by 1-3 points each.

Toroia: May increase AGI by 1-2 points or SPD by 1-3 points; Reduce VIT and MAG by 1-3 points each.

Eblana: May increase AGI and/or MAG by 1-2 points; Reduce VIT and SPR by 1-3 points each.

Silvara: May increase AGI, SPD, MAG, and/or SPR by 1-2 points; Reduce STR and VIT by 1-4 points each. Must choose the Piggy, Mini, or Frog Disadvantage (but still chooses Advantages corresponding to these points).

FF4 Racial Disadvantages:

Although few players will wish to build a character based on the cursed inhabitants of the peoples native to Silvara, the following disadvantages may be used to represent the handicaps faced by such a character. The character retains the racial stat-line of their chosen region, but is permanently afflicted with the listed effects.

Note that while these are significant handicaps, they are less restrictive than the corresponding status condition. This is intentional, as it is assumed that suffering under the status permanently allows the character to overcome some of the handicaps of their condition.

Piggy (-2):

Those afflicted with this curse retain much of the general shape and size of a human, but their features are grossly twisted to resemble that of large swine. Although weaker than some, these Silvara natives face only minor handicaps compared to other adventurers. Due to the clumsiness of their form and difficulty speaking, these characters permanently suffer from the statuses Agility Down and Magic Down.

Mini (-4)

Although similar in appearance to humans, those afflicted with this curse are extremely tiny, standing on average only one foot tall. These Silvara natives face significant obstacles to an adventuring career. Due to their small size, they face increased risk from the dangers of spell and blade. They are also noticeably weaker than others. As a result, their ARM and M.ARM ratings are permanently halved after factoring in all other bonuses from Equipment and Status Conditions. In addition, these character permanently suffer from the status Power Break.

Frog (-6)

Those afflicted with this curse are all-but-indistinguishable from a common frog. Although possessing human-like intellect and speech, these Silvara natives will face grave difficulty in any sort of adventuring career. Due to their small size, they face increased risk from the dangers of spell and blade. They also have a difficult time utilizing magic properly. As a result, their ARM and M.ARM ratings are permanently halved after factoring in all other bonuses from Equipment and Status Conditions. In addition, these character permanently suffer from the statuses Power Break and Magic Break.

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