Changes: Dark (magic)

Revision as of 15:43, 21 February 2020

Dark Magic (闇魔法 Yami Mahō lit. Darkness Magic) is one of the three types of Magic, along with Light magic and Anima magic, in the Fire Emblem series. Powerful yet inaccurate, it is also one of the rarest classes of magic in the series. It can be seen as the magical equivalent to the Axe.

Overview

Dark Magic is dubious in nature, but not necessarily evil. Some practitioners prefer calling it “Elder Magic” as they tend to remind people that it is the wielder of said magic that is evil, rather than the craft itself.

In Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Knoll points out that dark magic's power comes from knowledge, not the desire to harm others. On the other hand, in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, it is stated by Canas that Dark Magic comes from darkness and that one must invite the darkness into oneself to use it; he also states that one must not allow the darkness full control.

Dark Magic is extremely hard to master and potent spells or legendary tomes carry steep penalties for their usage, warping the indivudual in various degrees. The hero Bramimond, allowed darkness full control over himself to obtain the power of The Revealing Darkness, Apocalypse, which erased his personality, instead mirroring others speaking to him. Canas also has three brothers who met a similar fate. While Dark Magic as a whole is not evil, some specific tomes do have negative effects; for instance, in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, the dark magic tome of Loptous is pure evil, as it transfers the will of its namesake to overcome and control its wielder. Nyx stated that her youthful appearance was due to a powerful curse she used that has permanently made her unable to age physically.

Minor and moderate hexes, curses, and talismin craft also apply to Dark Magic. There are a wide range of effects from painful torture to giving a runny nose. Dubious nature aside, Dark Magic also can be used beneficially on others. Tharja and Odin has shown that Dark Magic can be used to cool fevers, repel insects, give vivid, pleasant dreams, and surpress embarassment. Dark Mages are also skilled in countering other Dark Magic inflicted on themselves. However, some magic may be too powerful for them to be able to remove it from themselves. Henry has shown to be more skilled in countercursing than Tharja and can even return the curse to its original sender.

Combat

Playable Dark Magic users are often very rare in the Fire Emblem series. It was not until Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 that the first playable Dark Magic user, Salem was introduced.

In Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, Canas is the only dedicated Dark Magic user, and appears in a side-chapter, Athos is also able to use Dark Magic, as well as every other kind. Another example is in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Both playable Dark Magic users, Pelleas and Lehran, can only be unlocked after the game has been completed once, even then, Lehran has additional conditions that must be met before he is recruited (and even then he is only available for the last chapter and must be given a Dark Tome).

There are also fewer Dark Magic Tomes compared to Light and Anima Magic, though most Dark Magic Tomes have very unique and tactical uses. Flux, for instance, is the basic Dark Tome, while Luna deals direct damage regardless of the defender's Resistance, as well as having a high critical rate. Nosferatu leeches enemy Hit Points. The tome Eclipse, depending on the game's variation, can either cut enemy Hit Points in half, or reduce enemy Hit Points to 1; in both cases, the spell negates the defender's Resistance.

Dark Magic is generally the most powerful magic available. Dark Magic typically deals the most damage, but is the least accurate. In addition, Dark Magic tomes are often the heaviest to wield, making it extremely difficult for Dark Magic users, especially those with a low Constitution, to execute consecutive hits against enemies. However, these are usually not insurmountable weaknesses, as Dark Magic users generally have high enough accuracy to hit consistently.

In most Fire Emblem games, the classes that use Dark Magic are specialized. Shaman and Druids, their promotion are the only classes to use it in the GBA games. In other games, those roles are often replaced by the Dark Mage and Sorcerer classes. A few other classes can use Dark magic, most of these are character specific. The Necromancer class is unique to Lyon, and the Dark Druid and Archsage classes from The Blazing Blade are unique to the characters Nergal and Athos, respectively. In The Sacred Stones, a new Dark Magic Class was introduced, Summoner. Summoners could use Dark Magic, Staves, and have the ability to summon Phantoms. The class is unique to The Sacred Stones, although one non-playable Summoner, Izuka, appears in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn as a third-tier unit, who instead summons Feral Ones. In Three Houses, magic is almost never restricted to classes, and the ones that are are due to the Class Abilities. In the case of Dark Magic, the Dark Mage and Dark Bishop have the Class Ability Miasma Δ, which gives male units access to Miasma, but only after spending a Dark Seal to access these classes.

The Sacred Stones

In The Sacred Stones, certain monster attacks are considered Dark Magic attacks, such as Evil Eye, Demon Surge, and Crimson Eye, making Light Magic Users very useful.

Path of Radiance & Radiant Dawn

Dark Magic is notably absent from Path of Radiance. This is mostly attributed to the reintroduction of the 'Anima' Magic Triangle with Wind, Fire, and Thunder magic, last appearing in Genealogy of the Holy War. With all the new spells created, Dark Magic was omitted, as to not overwhelm the player. Meanwhile, Light Magic took up a position outside of the Anima triangle, much like Bows for the weapon triangle.

Dark Magic was reintroduced in Radiant Dawn. It is particularly useful, as the 'original' Magic Triangle was reintroduced alongside the Anima Magic Triangle, meaning Dark magic trumps all Anima Magic, but is weak against Light Magic.

There are only 9 Dark magic users in Radiant Dawn, including enemies and allies. It is seemingly implied that Dark Magic users are likely to be Spirit Charmers, as Dark Magic is "too difficult for most mages", which explains their rareness.

Three Houses

Dark Magic is a rare form of magic, as the only practitioners of such magic are affiliated with Those Who Slither in the Dark. Much like Black Magic, Dark Magic growth is governed by the Reason skill stat; by improving it, it expands a unit's spell list. Only 5 playable characters (Edelgard, Hubert, Lysithea, Hapi, & Jeritza) can naturally use Dark Magic, whereas anyone else will have to Class Change into the male-locked Dark Mage and Dark Bishop classes to utilize Miasma Δ. As such, they are the only playable characters to gain Dark Magic-related Abilities as they level up their Reason skill stat.

The Dark Knight and Gremory classes are the two non-Dark Seal classes with Class Abilities that offers synergy with Dark Magic spells.

List of Dark Magic Tomes

Normal Dark Tomes

Notable Dark Tomes

Legendary Dark Tomes

*In some games this was switched to being a Light magic Tome, as it was originally in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Dark.gif]]'''Dark Magic''' is one of the three elements of [[Magic]], along with [[Light Magic]] and [[Anima Magic]], in the Fire Emblem series. Powerful yet inaccurate, it is also one of the rarest classes of magic in the series.
+'''Dark Magic''' (闇魔法 ''Yami Mahō'' lit. '''Darkness Magic''') is one of the three types of [[Magic]], along with [[Light (magic)|Light magic]] and [[Anima (magic)|Anima magic]], in the Fire Emblem series. Powerful yet inaccurate, it is also one of the rarest classes of magic in the series. It can be seen as the magical equivalent to the [[Axe]].
+==Overview==
-Dark Magic is referred to as "elder magic" by some involved in its use. These practitioners prefer to call it '"elder magic", because they believe the word "dark" suggests that it is evil. These users like to remind the world that it is the wielder, not the magic itself, that is typically the source of evil. In fact, In ''[[Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones]]'', [[Knoll]] points out that dark magic's power comes from knowledge, not the desire to harm others. On the other hand, in ''[[Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken]]'', it is stated by [[Canas]] that Dark Magic comes from darkness and that one must invite the darkness into oneself to use it; he also states that one must not allow the darkness full control. The hero [[Bramimond]], however, allowed darkness full control over himself to obtain the power of The Silencing Darkness, [[Apocalypse]], which made him devoid of personality while instead mimicking the personality of others speaking to him. Canas also has three brothers who met a similar fate. While Dark Magic as a whole is not evil some specific tomes do have negative effects, in ''[[Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu]]'', the dark magic tome of [[Loptous (tome)|Loptous]] is pure evil, as it transfer the will of its [[Loptous (character)|creator]] its wielder.
+Dark Magic is dubious in nature, but not necessarily evil. Some practitioners prefer calling it “Elder Magic” as they tend to remind people that it is the wielder of said magic that is evil, rather than the craft itself.
+In ''[[Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones]]'', [[Knoll]] points out that dark magic's power comes from knowledge, not the desire to harm others. On the other hand, in ''[[Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade]]'', it is stated by [[Canas]] that Dark Magic comes from darkness and that one must invite the darkness into oneself to use it; he also states that one must not allow the darkness full control.
-Playable Dark Magic users are often very rare in the Fire Emblem games. It was not until ''[[Fire Emblem: Thracia 776]]'' that the first playable Dark Magic user, [[Salem]] was introduced. Also, in ''[[Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken]]'', aside from [[Athos]] (who can use all types of magic and is obtained only in the final chapter), only one Dark magic user is playable, [[Canas]], and he can only be recruited by entering a house in a Gaiden Chapter. Another good example is in ''[[Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]''. Both playable Dark Magic users, [[Pelleas]] and [[Lehran]], can only be unlocked after the game has been completed once (Lehran has additional conditions that must be met before he is playable).
+Dark Magic is extremely hard to master and potent spells or legendary tomes carry steep penalties for their usage, warping the indivudual in various degrees. The hero [[Bramimond]], allowed darkness full control over himself to obtain the power of The Revealing Darkness, [[Apocalypse]], which erased his personality, instead mirroring others speaking to him. Canas also has three brothers who met a similar fate. While Dark Magic as a whole is not evil, some specific tomes do have negative effects; for instance, in ''[[Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'', the dark magic tome of [[Loptyr (tome)|Loptous]] is pure evil, as it transfers the will of its [[Loptyr (character)|namesake]] to overcome and control its wielder. [[Nyx]] stated that her youthful appearance was due to a powerful curse she used that has permanently made her unable to age physically.
-There are also fewer Dark Magic [[Tome]]s compared to Light and Anima Magic, though most Dark Magic Tomes have very unique as well as tactical uses. [[Flux]], for instance, is the basic Dark Tome, while [[Luna (tome)|Luna]] deals direct damage regardless of the defender's [[Resistance]], as well as having a high critical rate. [[Nosferatu]] leeches enemy [[Hit Points]], recovering the user's lost Hit Points equal to the damage inflicted. The tome [[Eclipse (tome)|Eclipse]], depending on the game's variation, can either cut enemy Hit Points in half, or reduce enemy Hit Points to 1; in both cases, the spell negates the defender's Resistance.
+Minor and moderate hexes, curses, and talismin craft also apply to Dark Magic. There are a wide range of effects from painful torture to giving a runny nose. Dubious nature aside, Dark Magic also can be used beneficially on others. [[Tharja]] and [[Odin]] has shown that Dark Magic can be used to cool fevers, repel insects, give vivid, pleasant dreams, and surpress embarassment. Dark Mages are also skilled in countering other Dark Magic inflicted on themselves. However, some magic may be too powerful for them to be able to remove it from themselves. [[Henry]] has shown to be more skilled in countercursing than Tharja and can even return the curse to its original sender.
-Dark Magic is the most powerful magic and is likened to [[Axe]]s in the physical weapon triangle. Dark Magic typically deals the most damage, but is the least accurate. In addition, Dark Magic tomes are often the heaviest to wield, making it extremely difficult for Dark Magic users, especially those with a low [[Constitution]], to execute consecutive hits against enemies. However, these are usually not insurmountable weaknesses, as Dark Magic users generally have high enough accuracy to hit consistently.
-In some Fire Emblem games, only two classes can use Dark Magic. [[Shaman]]s are the basic class, and [[Druid]]s are their promotion. In other games, those roles are replaced by the [[Dark Mage]] and [[Sorcerer]] classes. A few other classes can use Dark magic; however, most of these are classes unique to a single character. The [[Necromancer]] class is unique to one of the main antagonists in ''The Sacred Stones'' ([[Lyon]]), while the [[Dark Druid]] and [[Archsage]] classes from ''Rekka no Ken'' are unique to the characters [[Nergal]] and (Athos), respectively. An additional class, the [[Summoner]], is present in both ''The Sacred Stones'' (as a possible class change for the characters Knoll and [[Ewan]]) and ''Radiant Dawn'' (as the standard class for the enemy character [[Izuka]]). The other Dark Magic user in ''Radiant Dawn'', Pelleas, is a [[Dark Sage]] and promotes to an [[Archsage]] with a specialty in Dark Magic.
+==Combat==
-==The Sacred Stones==
+Playable Dark Magic users are often very rare in the Fire Emblem series. It was not until ''[[Fire Emblem: Thracia 776]]'' that the first playable Dark Magic user, [[Salem]] was introduced.
-In ''The Sacred Stones'', certain monster attacks are considered Dark Magic attacks, such as [[Evil Eye]], [[Demon Surge]], and [[Crimson Eye]], making Light Magic Users a very useful class in that game.
+In ''[[Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade]]'', Canas is the only dedicated Dark Magic user, and appears in a side-chapter, [[Athos]] is also able to use Dark Magic, as well as every other kind. Another example is in ''[[Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]''. Both playable Dark Magic users, [[Pelleas]] and [[Lehran]], can only be unlocked after the game has been completed once, even then, Lehran has additional conditions that must be met before he is recruited (and even then he is only available for the last chapter and must be given a Dark Tome).
-Also, in ''The Sacred Stones'', a new Dark Magic Class was introduced, [[Summoner]]. Summoners could use Dark Magic, Staves, and have the ability to summon [[Phantom]]s. The class is unique to The Sacred Stones, although one non-playable Summoner, Izuka, appears in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn as a third-tier unit.
+There are also fewer Dark Magic [[Tome]]s compared to Light and Anima Magic, though most Dark Magic Tomes have very unique and tactical uses. [[Flux]], for instance, is the basic Dark Tome, while [[Luna (tome)|Luna]] deals direct damage regardless of the defender's [[Resistance]], as well as having a high critical rate. [[Nosferatu]] leeches enemy [[Hit Points]]. The tome [[Eclipse (tome)|Eclipse]], depending on the game's variation, can either cut enemy Hit Points in half, or reduce enemy Hit Points to 1; in both cases, the spell negates the defender's Resistance.
+Dark Magic is generally the most powerful magic available. Dark Magic typically deals the most damage, but is the least accurate. In addition, Dark Magic tomes are often the heaviest to wield, making it extremely difficult for Dark Magic users, especially those with a low [[Constitution]], to execute consecutive hits against enemies. However, these are usually not insurmountable weaknesses, as Dark Magic users generally have high enough accuracy to hit consistently.
+In most Fire Emblem games, the classes that use Dark Magic are specialized. [[Shaman]] and [[Druid]]s, their promotion are the only classes to use it in the GBA games. In other games, those roles are often replaced by the [[Dark Mage]] and [[Sorcerer]] classes. A few other classes can use Dark magic, most of these are character specific. The [[Necromancer]] class is unique to [[Lyon]], and the [[Dark Druid]] and [[Archsage]] classes from ''The Blazing Blade'' are unique to the characters [[Nergal]] and [[Athos]], respectively. In ''The Sacred Stones'', a new Dark Magic Class was introduced, [[Summoner]]. Summoners could use Dark Magic, Staves, and have the ability to summon [[Phantom]]s. The class is unique to ''The Sacred Stones'', although one non-playable Summoner, [[Izuka]], appears in ''Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn'' as a third-tier unit, who instead summons [[Feral One]]s. In ''Three Houses'', magic is almost never restricted to classes, and the ones that are are due to the Class Abilities. In the case of Dark Magic, the [[Dark Mage]] and [[Dark Bishop]] have the Class Ability [[Miasma Δ]], which gives male units access to Miasma, but only after spending a [[Dark Seal]] to access these classes.
+==The Sacred Stones==
+In ''The Sacred Stones'', certain monster attacks are considered Dark Magic attacks, such as [[Evil Eye]], [[Demon Surge]], and [[Crimson Eye]], making Light Magic Users very useful.
 ==Path of Radiance & Radiant Dawn==
-Dark Magic is notably absent from ''Path of Radiance''. This is mostly attributed to the reintroduction of the 'Anima' Magic Triangle with Wind, Fire, and Thunder magic (which appeared previously in ''Seisen no Keifu''). With all the new spells created, Dark Magic was omitted, as to not overwhelm the player. Meanwhile, Light Magic took up a position outside of the Anima triangle, much like [[Bow]]s for the weapon triangle.
+Dark Magic is notably absent from ''Path of Radiance''. This is mostly attributed to the reintroduction of the 'Anima' Magic Triangle with Wind, Fire, and Thunder magic, last appearing in ''Genealogy of the Holy War''. With all the new spells created, Dark Magic was omitted, as to not overwhelm the player. Meanwhile, Light Magic took up a position outside of the Anima triangle, much like [[Bow]]s for the weapon triangle.
-Dark Magic was reintroduced in ''Radiant Dawn''. It is particularly useful, as the 'original' Magic Triangle was reintroduced alongside the Anima Magic Triangle, meaning Dark magic trumps all Anima Magic, but is weak against all Light Magic.
+Dark Magic was reintroduced in ''Radiant Dawn''. It is particularly useful, as the 'original' Magic Triangle was reintroduced alongside the Anima Magic Triangle, meaning Dark magic trumps all Anima Magic, but is weak against Light Magic.
 There are only 9 Dark magic users in ''Radiant Dawn'', including enemies and allies. It is seemingly implied that Dark Magic users are likely to be [[Spirit Charmer]]s, as Dark Magic is "too difficult for most mages", which explains their rareness.
+==Three Houses==
+Dark Magic is a rare form of magic, as the only practitioners of such magic are affiliated with [[Those Who Slither in the Dark]]. Much like [[Black Magic]], Dark Magic growth is governed by the [[Reason]] skill stat; by improving it, it expands a unit's spell list.
+Only 5 playable characters ([[Edelgard]], [[Hubert]], [[Lysithea]], [[Hapi]], & [[Jeritza]]) can naturally use Dark Magic, whereas anyone else will have to Class Change into the male-locked Dark Mage and Dark Bishop classes to utilize [[Miasma Δ]]. As such, they are the only playable characters to gain Dark Magic-related Abilities as they level up their Reason skill stat.
+The [[Dark Knight]] and [[Gremory]] classes are the two non-Dark Seal classes with [[Dark Magic Uses ×|Class]] [[Dark Tomefaire|Abilities]] that offers synergy with Dark Magic spells.
 ==List of Dark Magic Tomes==
+===Normal Dark Tomes===
+*[[Miasma]]
 *[[Flux]]
-*[[Worm]]
+*[[Swarm]]
 *[[Fenrir]]
+*[[Carreau]]
+*[[Banshee Θ]]
+*[[Verrine]]
+*[[Ruin]]
+*[[Mire]]
+*[[Death]]
+*[[Goetia]]
+===Notable Dark Tomes===
 *[[Eclipse (tome)|Eclipse]]
+*[[Nosferatu]]*
-*[[Nosferatu]] (in some games this was switched to being a [[Light Magic]] [[Tome]], as it was originally in ''[[Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo]]'')
 *[[Luna (tome)|Luna]]
+*[[Yotsmungand|Jormungand]]
+*[[Waste]]
+*[[Aversa's Night]]
+*[[Dark Spikes T]]
+*[[Hades Ω]]
+===Legendary Dark Tomes===
 *[[Apocalypse]]
 *[[Gespenst]]
 *[[Gleipnir]]
 *[[Naglfar]]
-*[[Carreau]]
-*[[Verrine]]
 *[[Balberith]]
+*[[Imhullu]] (only usable in [[Assassins]])
-*[[Ruin]]
+:''*''In some games this was switched to being a [[Light (magic)|Light magic]] [[Tome]], as it was originally in ''[[Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem]]''
-*[[Waste]]
-*[[Goetia]]
-*[[Aversa's Night]]
 ===Enemy only===
-*[[Ereshkigal]]
-*[[Imhullu]]
-*[[Dulam]]
-*[[Hell]]
-*[[Yotsmungand]]
 *[[Poison (weapon)|Poison]]
-*[[Loptous (tome)|Loptous]]
+*[[Loptyr (tome)|Loptous]]
+*[[Evil Eye]]
+*[[Demon Surge]]
+*[[Crimson Eye]]
+*[[Shadowshot]]
 *[[Stone (weapon)|Stone]]
+*[[Ereshkigal]]
+*[[Dulam]]
+*[[Hel (tome)|Hel]]
 *[[Glower]]
 *[[Grima's Truth]]
+*[[Bohr Χ]]
+*[[Quake Σ]]
+==Gallery==
+<gallery position="center" captionalign="center">
+File:FE4 Dark.png|Dark icon in ''[[Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]''.
+File:FE5 Dark Icon.png|Dark icon in ''[[Fire Emblem: Thracia 776]]''.
+File:TS Dark Magic.png|Dark icon in ''[[TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga]]''.
+File:Dark.gif|Dark icon in the ''[[GBA]] titles''.
+File:FE10 Dark.gif|Dark icon in ''[[Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]''.
+File:Flux FE13 Icon.png|Icon for Flux in ''[[Fire Emblem Awakening]]''
+FE16 dark magic icon.png|Dark Magic spell icon in ''[[Fire Emblem: Three Houses]]''
+File:GIR Dark Icon.png|Dark icon in ''[[Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE]]''.
+</gallery>
 {{Darknav}}
+{{WeaponNav}}
 [[Category:Weapon Types]]
-[[Category:Weapons]]
-[[Category:Dark magic|*]]

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE	Life Drain - Life Leech - Poison Breath - Sleep Song
TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga	Evil Worm - Janura - Tomaharn - Black Hole - Land Burst - Bau Crash - ★Zahhak - ★Black Rain

By Rank	E - D - C - B - A - S - Star
By Game	Main Titles	Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light - Gaiden - Mystery of the Emblem - Genealogy of the Holy War - Thracia 776 - The Binding Blade - The Blazing Blade - The Sacred Stones - Path of Radiance - Radiant Dawn - Shadow Dragon - New Mystery of the Emblem - Awakening - Fates - Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - Three Houses - Engage
	Side Titles	TMS♯FE - Heroes - Warriors - Warriors: Three Hopes
	TearRing Saga	Utna Heroes Saga - Berwick Saga

Physical	Sword - Lance - Axe - Bow (Crossbow) - Dagger - Strike - Gauntlets
Magical	Black - White - Anima (Fire - Thunder - Wind) - Light - Dark - Staff - Tome - Reason - Faith - Color Magic
Special	Stone - Breath - Cannonball

Standard	Slim - Bronze - Iron - Steel - Silver
Special	Glass - Killer - Brave - Breaker - Devil - Blessed - Superior
Other	Blade - Storm Sword - Magic Sword - El tomes - Max Ranked Weapons - Smash Weapon