Magic is a type of ability that appears in every installment in the Bravely Default series. Several jobs in each installment specialize in the casting of magical spells, though usually at the cost of their physical ability, with these spells having a number of useful effects, such as damaging multiple enemies at once with elemental attacks, healing allies, and manipulating the flow of time. Spells typically use the magical attack stat if they deal damage and the mind or restorative power stat if they restore HP, and while many command abilities use MP, magic jobs are unique in that nearly all of theirs do. While many jobs possess magical attacks, each installment specifies certain job commands as magic, placing those spells in a special Magic option in the menu. Certain spells, particularly restorative ones, are usable on the field from this menu, so long as the appropriate magic command is equipped. Core magical jobs that have appeared in every installment thus far are the White Mage, specializing in restorative White Magic; the Black Mage, specializing in offensive Black Magic; and the Red Mage, specializing in wielding both varieties, either through B/W Magic or their own Red Magic, though with lower proficiency in each variety.
Acquiring Spells[]
Bravely Default[]
Unlike the skills of non-magic jobs, spells used by magic-wielding jobs are not directly learned at given job levels. Job levels allow the user to wield the given spell or spells, but the spells must be aquired separately.
For White Magic, Black Magic, Sword Magic, and Time Magic, certain job levels in the corresponding jobs each grant access to the three spells at a given magic level, up to a maximum of magic level 6. Sword Magic shares its spell names with Black Magic, with the exception of a version of the White Magic Holy replacing Kill, while each magic level in B/W Magic grants access to all six spells at a given magic level from both Black Magic and White Magic, but only up to magic level 4. Scrolls containing these spells can be purchased from magic shops in the various towns in the game. Higher-leveled scrolls are found in later sections of the game, so acquiring new spells is gated both by job advancement and story progression.
Summoning and Invocation spells are acquired differently. Only one summon belongs to each magic level, but in order to learn their abilities beyond the initial spell Girtablulu, the player must have the sufficient job level on at least one character and then find the associated Anchorites, scattered across Luxendarc. In the Anchorite's challenge, if at least one character survives the summon's attack, the summon spell and invocation are available for the whole party.
Bravely Second: End Layer[]
Spells are acquired in the same way as in the original game, with some minor differences in implementation. Rather than three spells per magic level, jobs only have up to two, which reduces the number of spells available in B/W Magic, White Magic, Black Magic, and Time Magic. However, with the exception of B/W Magic, most magic commands now have access to a seventh magic level, unlocked at job level 11, containing one additional spell.
Summoning, in contrast to other returning magic jobs, has more spells available than before, as though it now has only four magic levels, it also has two summons per level. They are acquired in the same manner as before. However, at job level 11, instead of acquiring one additional spell, summoning level 5 provides access to an additional ability associated with each summon, analogous to Invocation from the previous game.
The Wizard job is unique in that it includes two magic commands, Spirit Magic and Spellcraft. All eight spells that constitute Spirit Magic are able to be used at job level 1, provided the requisite scrolls are purchased, while Spellcraft abilities are learnt at higher job levels; two additional spells at the first through fourth magic levels and one more at the fifth magic level, at job level 11.
Bravely Default II[]
Unlike in the previous two games, spells are learned directly by reaching certain levels in a given magic job. At each such level, only a single spell is learned. As such, the amount of spells a magic job command includes varies, ranging from 10 spells as part of White Magic to 14 spells included in Divination.
List of Magic Commands[]
Bravely Default[]
- White Magic (White Mage)
- Black Magic (Black Mage)
- Sword Magic (Spell Fencer)
- Time Magic (Time Mage)
- Summoning (Summoner)
- B/W Magic (Red Mage)
- Invocation (Conjurer)
Bravely Second[]
- Spirit Magic (Wizard)
- Spellcraft (Wizard)
- Holy Magic (Bishop)
- Astral Magic (Astrologian)
- B/W Magic (Red Mage)
- Summoning (Summoner)
- White Magic (White Mage)
- Black Magic (Black Mage)
- Time Magic (Time Mage)
- Diabolism (Yōkai)
Bravely Default II[]
- Black Magic (Black Mage)
- White Magic (White Mage)
- Red Magic (Red Mage)
- Spirit Magic (Spiritmaster)
- Divination (Oracle)
- Necromancy (Arcanist)
Spells Usable on the Field[]
Bravely Default[]
- White Magic
- Time Magic
Bravely Second[]
- Holy Magic
- Heal, Antidote, Open Eyes, Blessing, Vivify, Innocence, Benediction, Resurrect
- White Magic
- Cure, Esuna, Raise, Cura, Curada, Esunaga, Curaga, Arise, Raise All
Bravely Default II[]
- White Magic
- Cure, Raise, Cura, Basuna, Arise, Curaga, Esuna, Raise All
- Red Magic
Trivia[]
- Though the Spiritmaster and Arcanist in Bravely Default are sometimes considered magic jobs due to their magic-focused stats and abilities, the game does not consider them so, not including their respective Spiritism and Ritualism commands in the magic menu. However, the versions of those two jobs present in Bravely Default II are instead conventional magic jobs and recognized as such.
- Bard and Pictomancer in Bravely Default II are other examples of jobs with magical attacks and magical aptitude in their stats that the game does not consider magic jobs.