Fire Emblem (GBA) - Notes

Each unit comes with these statistics.

• Str/Mag: Strength or magical power. Raises weapon or magic damage.
• Skill: Affects hit rate and critical hit rate.
• Speed: Affects evasion and number of attacks.
• Luck: Affects hit rate and evasion, and lowers opponent’s critical hit rate.
• Def: Reduces damage from weapons.
• Res: Reduces damage from magic.
• Con: Physical size of unit.
• Move: Number of spaces in movement range.
• Aid: Unit can rescue other units with lower Con values than this. This value is usually one lower than Con. Mounted units have an Aid value of (25-Con) if male; (20-Con) if female.
• Affin: Elemental affinity.
• Traveler: When a unit rescues another unit, its Skill and Speed are reduced to half.
• Condition: Poison, sleep, silence, and berserk.

The damage system in Fire Emblem is very simple. The gross damage of a weapon (Atk) is found by adding the Mt of a weapon with a unit’s Str or Mag. When the weapon is used, the damage done equals the gross damage minus the opponent’s Def (for weapons) or Res (for magic).

There exists a "weapon triangle" in which one kind of weapon has an advantage over another weapon type. Basically, the triangle is swords over axes, axes over lances, and lances over swords. (Bows are outside the weapon triangle.) Some weapons (e.g. a Lancereaver) reverse the weapon triangle. An analogue to the weapon triangle is the "magic triangle": light magic over dark magic, dark magic over anima magic, and anima magic over light magic.

If a unit uses a weapon with an advantage over the opponent’s weapon, opponent gets -1 in Mt and -15 in hit rate; unit gets +1 and +15. If that weapon is one that "reverses the triangle", opponent gets -2 and -30; unit gets +2 and +30. (If both units use a "reversing" weapon, no reversing occurs and the usual advantages to the unit apply.)

Weapons that are effective against certain unit classes (e.g. the Mani Katti against infantry) have their Mt tripled when used against those units. This is applied after the weapon advantage calculation above. (For attacks other than Aureola that are effective against the Fire Dragon, the Mt is doubled instead when used against the Fire Dragon.)

Defense

Magical Swords

Attack Speed

Attack Speed is usually equal to a unit’s Speed. If a weapon is heavier than the unit, the unit’s Attack Speed falls by (Wt(weapon)-Con). (Attack Speed can have a minimum of 0.) If one unit’s Attack Speed is higher than its opponent’s by 4 or more, it will attack again after its enemy’s counterattack (if any).

Crit

Hit

Avoid

Staves that aid allies will, of course, never miss.

Staves that cause negative conditions have a different method of accuracy from the standard one. These formulas calculate a staff’s hit rate and evasion. Staves have a hit rate of 0 against Fire Dragons and Dark Druids.

StaffHit=30+Mag*5+Skill

• Calculate effects to Mag before using it in this formula.
• Add 5 if unit mastered staves; else 0.

StaffAvoid=Res*5+A*2

• Terrain effects are not applied here.
• A = City block distance from the unit to the target

• Sleep: Unit is unable to act for a few turns, even when it is hit (can still dodge attacks as normal).
• Poison: Unit loses 1 through 3 HP at the beginning of the round (after recovering HP, if on a fortress).
• Silence: Unit can’t use magic or staves for a few turns. Silenced units also can’t visit houses, villages, or arenas, but may visit armories and shops.
• Berserk: Unit can’t be controlled and will try to attack an allied or enemy unit at the end of its owner’s phase. (It won’t attack using a staff, and can attack using any weapon.) No experience is gained for the attack.
• Defense: From Ninis’s Grace. Raises a unit’s Def and Res by 10 each, for one turn.
• Attack: From Filla’s Might. Raises a unit’s Atk by 10 for one turn.
• Avoid: From Set’s Litany. Adds 10 to a unit’s Avoid for one turn.
• Critical: From Thor’s Ire. Raises a unit’s Crit by 10 for one turn.

Only one condition can occur on a unit at a time. Any condition can replace a positive condition (i.e. from dances), but only another negative condition can replace a negative condition.

Thieves have a Steal command that allows them to take items from an enemy unit whose Speed (not Attack Speed) is less than or equal to its own. Stealing never fails. Weapons, magic, and staves, as well as Flametongue, can’t be stolen. The thief will earn EXP when it steals in this way.

Each unit has a weapon skill level for each weapon type it can use. Weapon levels allow the unit to use more powerful weapons of that type. The weapon levels are: E = 1-30, D = 31-70, C = 71-120, B = 121-180, A = 181-250, S = 251+. Using a weapon earns a unit one or more Weapon EXP points. Promoting some units will also give some weapon EXP. The maximum weapon level is "A" (181) for lower-class units. Only one weapon type can reach level "S" for upper-class units.

Link mode consists of two to four teams of up to five units each. Each unit must be equipped with at least one usable weapon to participate. Ineligible for link combat are staves, Bolting, Purge, Eclipse, the Wind sword, the Dragon axe, and the Emblem seal. Each unit may use its weapons an unlimited number of times. In each turn, the player chooses one of his units, and one unit from any of the other teams, both of whom will attack. Conditions, such as poison, have no effect. Players earn points (identical to experience) in the link arena. Support effects on units are applied. The last team remaining earns 30 points for each unit still standing.

Units, when they attack enemies or use a staff, gain experience (EXP). When a unit has 100 EXP, it gains a level (any excess experience is carried over). The maximum level is 20. When a unit doesn’t do damage in a round, it gains 1 EXP. In Fire Emblem, there is a difference between damaging an enemy and defeating an enemy for EXP gains. No experience is gained when attacking the Fire Dragon.

The maximum experience gained at once is 100. Somehow, a unit gains a level, even at 20, when it earns 100 points at once in the Link Arena.

DamageEXP = int((A+31+B-C-D)/E)

• A = 20 if opponent’s class is "upper-class"; else 0.
• B = opponent’s level
• C = attacker’s level
• D = 20 if attacker’s class is "upper-class"; else 0.
• E = attacker’s Strength (based on class, not the same as Str)

BaseDefeatEXP = F - G

• A(X) = 0 if X’s class is "lower-class"; 40 if X’s class is Assassin, Bishop (female), or Valkyrie; 60 otherwise.
• B = opponent’s Strength
• C = opponent’s level
• D = attacker’s Strength
• E = attacker’s level
• F = A(Opponent)+B*C
• G = A(Attacker)+D*E. In Eliwood normal mode and Hector normal mode, or when no mode is set, if G is greater than F, G is divided by 2 and rounded down. In link mode, the mode depends on the last save file opened before entering a Link Battle.

DefeatEXP=round(DamageEXP+max(0,BaseDefeatEXP+A+B+20)*C)

• A = 40 if opponent is an enemy boss; else 0.
• B = 20 if opponent is a Thief or Assassin; else 0.
• C = 2 if "instant death" was caused; else 1.

• Where 1-0 appears in Range, the range varies from 1 to int(max(10,Mag)/2). The effect of Filla’s Might is not applied here, since it modifies Atk, not Mag.
• Purchase price of items equals uses times Value; selling price of items equals half the purchase price.
• The in-game description for Rienfleche is erroneous; it doesn’t act like a "Brave" weapon at all. It should read, "For experienced units only."

• Mounted units can move the number of spaces left in their movement range, unless it performs a "wait", "attack", or "staff" command, or it uses a "promoting" item.
• The Trade command allows units next to each other (including rescued units) to manage their item inventories. Trade can’t be used if either unit is berserk or if either unit is a non-playable character. Units can’t use the "Trade" command with Merlinus.
• Only when a weapon makes a hit does its endurance drop. Staves' and magics' endurance drops whether it hits or misses the target.
• A magic seal prevents the use of magic and staves from up to 10 spaces away.
• Each unit can carry up to 5 items. Merlinus can store up to 100 items.
• A unit can’t equip a staff and can’t equip any weapon it can’t use.
• An item will glow if an enemy unit takes it from a chest. Only the last item listed in a unit’s inventory can glow.
• Commands that are glowing allow a unit to perform other commands during its turn. These commands are "Trade" (items or with units), "Equip", "Discard", "Merch", "Ride", "Exit", "Take", and "Give".
• Once a unit "takes" or "gives" a rescued unit, neither command becomes available for the rest of that unit’s turn.
• Archers and snipers (those units only) can use any ballista on the field and can move it around. The game’s AI won’t move a ballista.
• Brigands and pirates can attack a village (even without weapons); after which it becomes impossible to visit it.