Thanks to repros4lyfe for the inspiration!
I’d like to see an FF magic system based on humorism, the belief that temperament is dictated by a balance of four humors in the body: black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. I guess the different kinds of mages sort of embody this system already. Black mage = choleric, white mage = phlegmatic, blue mage = sanguine, and red mage = melancholic. Maybe it’s not a perfect match, but what do you want from a medical theory that has no grounding whatsoever in reality?
So if a character contains an excess of any of the four humors, they end up increasing their stats?
Awesome!
Some characters might have naturally high humors. Having too much of either humor might make them sick. Having very little increases their strength and makes them healthier fighters. It leaves for a lot of options in how to play each game.
We could see a magic or combat systems based on blood type. A, B, AB, and O may have certain characteristics and can be amplified either through being positive and negative.
But don’t forget, what if we see gambits return? Maybe not in the same way implemented in Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, but similar. Like how the ascension grid in Final Fantasy XV is reminiscent of Final Fantasy XIII’s. If you don’t remember what Gambits are, or if you don’t know, here’s a summary:
During the game, combat can be controlled manually and programmed via the use of gambits; manually entered commands take precedence and their immediate execution will interrupt gambit programming.
Like simple computers, the player can create a list of commands and dependencies to be carried out automatically by the characters to simplify the combat system. All commands related to (are targeted on) the character, the character’s allies, or the enemies on-screen.
Gambits are a targeted “if A, then X” conditional statement/expression; each gambit on the list is evaluated and the first gambit that has a true, actionable condition, will be executed. Each time the character gets a new turn the list is reevaluated, starting with the first gambit.
It’s a simple way to control each of your characters. Keep your characters fighting in real time, without having to switch between them all at the same time. We might even see something similar to how it is in the Final Fantasy VII Remake.