Final Fantasy XII License Board - Augments

Unlike most other Licenses, Augments activate immediately once they are unlocked. They do not require any seperate purchases of Weapons, Items etc. before they become useful. As they have a direct and immediate effect, you should get them all unlocked as soon in your adventure as possible. Early on, if you are giving each character a specific job, you should concentrate on unlocking Augments relevant to that role, such as Channeling for spellcasters and Adrenaline for damage dealers. Later on when acquiring large amounts of LP becomes easier, you can spend time on maxing them out.

The below table lists all of the Augments and their uses.

Augment	LP Cost	Effect	Priority	Acquire When?
Swiftness (x3)	30/50/80	Reduces the charge time of all actions by 10%	All characters	As soon as possible
Gambit Slot (10)	15-100	Adds a Gambit Slot	All characters	Progressively as you gain new Gambits
Spellbound	30	Increases the duration of positive status effects by 50%	All characters	As soon as possible
+HP (x5)	30-155	Increases the character's max HP	All characters	As soon as possible
Headsman	30	The character gains MP by defeating foes	Damage dealers and tanks	Once you begin using Magicks more frequently
Martyr	30	The character gains MP by taking damage	Tanks (especially if you cast Decoy on them)	Once you begin using Magicks more frequently
Inquisitor	30	The character gains MP by dealing physical damage	Danage dealers and tanks	Once you begin using Magicks more frequently
Shield Block (x3)	25/45/75	Increases chance to block with a shield by 5%	Tanks and characters that regularly use shields	As soon as possible
Battle Lore (x5)	25-120	Adds 1 to the character's strength	Damage dealers and tanks	When you feel that a party member will benefit from the Strength boost
Brawler	90	Increases Attack Power when fighting empty-handed	Characters who you would like to operate as bare-knuckle specialists	Only if you decide to have a party member regularly engage in unarmed combat
Channelling (x3)	30/50/80	Reduces MP cost of Magicks by 10%	All Magick users	As soon as possible
Magick Lore (x5)	25-120	Adds 1 to the character's Magick Power	Spellcasters and support characters	When you feel that a party member will benefit from the Magick boost
Warmage	30	The character gains MP by dealing Magick damage	Spellcasters	Once you begin using Magicks more frequently
Potion Lore (x3)	20/35/70	The character restores more HP when using Potions	Any Character	When you need to use items instead of curative Magicks
Ether Lore (x3)	20/35/70	The character restores more MP when using Ethers	Any Character	When you are using MP at a rapid rate during battles
Phoenix Lore (x3)	30/50/90	The character restores more HP when reviving an ally with Phoenix Downs	Any Character	When you need to use items instead of curative Magicks
Remedy Lore (x3)	20/30/70	The character removes more status ailments when using Remedies	Any Character	When you need to use items instead of curative Magicks
Adrenaline	65	Doubles the character's Strength when they are HP Critical	Tanks and damage dealers	As soon as possible if you want to use the "HP Critical Technique" (see below)
Last Stand	70	Doubles the character's Defence when they are HP Critical	All characters	As soon as possible if you want to use the "HP Critical Technique" (see below)
Spellbreaker	65	Doubles the character's Magick Power when they are HP Critical	Magick users	As soon as possible if you want to use the "HP Critical Technique" (see below)
Focus	70	Doubles the character's Strength when their HP is full	Tanks and damage dealers	As soon as possible if you want to use the "HP Full Technique" (see below)
Serenity	70	Doubles the character's Magick Power when their HP is full	Magick users	As soon as possible if you want to use the "HP Full Technique" (see below)

Augments can also provide your characters with some interesting strategic options during battles...

The "HP Critical Technique"
This can be a powerful way to increase the damage dealt by your party. To utilise it you must:-

1. Have a damage dealer in your party. Increase his or her Strength as much as possible with Weapons, Armour or other Augments.
2. Have your damage dealer obtain the Adrenaline and Last Stand Licenses.
3. Deactivate your team's healing Gambits.
4. Manually attack your damage dealer until he or she is HP Critical (less than 20% of MAX HP)
5. Cast Decoy on your tank to draw attention away from your damage dealer.

If you take all of the above steps, your damage dealer will inflict twice the usual amount of damage with every blow, including Critical Hits (which would be equivalent to quadruple damage). Equip them with a ranged weapon to keep them away from most attacks, and then equip strong Armour to go with the doubled Defence rating so you can protect yourself against any attacks that do connect.

When healing up your damage dealer after a battle, make sure to only use weak Potions and low level Cure Magicks, so as to keep his or her HP below 20% and therefore maintain double damage and Defence.

The "HP Full Technique"
This method of damage-dealing is less risky, but also far less efficient.

To utilise this method, do the following:-

1. Have a damage dealer in your team and equip that character with a powerful ranged weapon and heavy armour for an additional Strength boost.
2. Have that character obtain the Focus License.
3. Set up a Gambit to heal him or her whenever they lose HP.
4. Cast Decoy on your tank to draw attention away from your damage dealer.

Your damage dealer will inflict around 20% more damage than usual with every single blow when his HP is full. You can also cast Haste, Bravery and perhaps even Berserk for added potency.

Lore Augments
The twelve Lore Augments can dramatically increase the effectiveness of restorative items. In battles when MP consumption is too great, these Augments can be crucial. Here are the effects of these Augments.

License	Items	Effect
Potion Lore 1	Potion, Hi-Potion and X-Potion	Potion items restore HP by an extra 10%
Potion Lore 2		Potion items restore HP by an extra 15%
Potion Lore 3		Potion items restore HP by an extra 25%
Ether Lore 1	Ether and Hi-Ether	Ether-type items restore MP by an extra 10%
Ether Lore 2		Ether-type items restore MP by an extra 15%
Ether Lore 3		Ether-type items restore MP by an extra 25%
Phoenix Lore 1	Phoenix Down	Phoenix Downs restore HP by an extra 10%
Phoenix Lore 2		Phoenix Downs restore HP by an extra 10%
Phoenix Lore 3		Phoenix Downs restore HP by an extra 10%
Remedy Lore 1	Remedy	Remedies additionally cure Sleep, Sap, Immobilise and Disable
Remedy Lore 2		Remedies additionally cure Petrify, Confuse and Oil
Remedy Lore 3		Remedies additionally cure Stop, Doom and Disease

These effects are cumulative, and any character that possesses them all will be able to cure virtually every status with a single remedy, restore 50% more HP with Potions, 50% more MP with Ethers, and recover 50% of MAX HP when reviving a character with a Phoenix Down instead of the usual 20%!

Endless MP Source
If you supply a tank with the Headsman, Martyr and Inquisitor Licenses, they will gain a regular supply of MP during battles. This is useful because it reduces your reliance on Ether-type items, which can be expensive. You can use this extra MP in two ways.

1. Assign Gambits to your tank giving them the responsibility of casting status effects, particularly area-of-effect spells such as Protectga or Shellga, easing the MP pressure on the spellcasters.
2. Other characters can use Syphon to harvest the extra MP from the tank. Its not as quick as using an Ether, but its a hell of a lot less expensive.