Proposal for revising the coding of enemies in Final Fantasy V, to create a deeper and more strategic game. Three Types would be expanded significantly, and more weapons would gain power to do extra damage based on Type. In this proposal some enemies have more than one Type, yet this is also seen in the original game’s data.

(Based upon notes found here.)

Here is the current distribution in the original SNES FFV game; on the right are the proposed changes to the type and the total enemies included in the new category

This new balance is satisfying: 3 seldom-used enemy types all become much more common; 4 of the 7 non-boss types have ~30 members. Sorting the enemies in this fashion creates a good distribution and opens up a lot of options to actually consider building strategies around regular enemy formations— this is of course enhanced by weapon types gaining bonus damage versus certain enemy types, which is a mechanic already in the game but severely under-utilized.

#2 Humanoid - most common non-Heavy

1. vanilla game enemy count: 70

2. proposed additions: (1)

   1. Lamia

3. vulnerable to:

   1. ManEater knife
   2. proposed new vulnerabilities:
      1. Poison/Dark
      2. Axes & Ninja Swords

   makes these weapons much more useful, all game

   • just give them the same bit flag as ManEater
   • will need to buff ManEater a lot as a result!

Humanoid Enemies

| • Abductor (Castle Exdeath) • Alchymia • Alte Roite • Berserker • Bio Soldier • Black Warlock • Calofisteri • Cherie • Covert • Death Dealer • Dragon Pod • Drippy • Druid • Dueling Knight • Elm Gigas • Enkidu • Exdeath (Great Forest of Moore) • Exdeath (tree form) • Exdeath's Soul • Famed Mimic Gogo • Executor • Farfarello • Flaremancer | • Forza • Gargoyle • Gigas • Gilgamesh (all but 1st battle) • Gobbledygook • Grand Mummy • Gravitator • Ice Commander • Ice Soldier • Iron Fist • Iron Muscles • Jackanapes (Castle Exdeath) • Lamia Queen • Lemure • Magissa • Mani Wizard • Metamorph • Mini Magician • Minotaur • Mummy • Mykale • Neo Exdeath (back) • Numb Blade ⭐Lamia | • Odin • Parthenope • Ra Mage • Ramuh • Reflect Knight • Reflect Mage • Ricard Mage • Ronkan Knight • Sekhmet • Sergeant • Shadow Dancer • Shiva • Siren (humanoid) • Siren (undead) • Sorcerer • Steel Fist • Sword Dancer • Titan • Tonberry • Traveler • Triffid • Vilia • Yojimbo • Zephyrus • Ziggurat Gigas | | --- | --- | --- |

#3 Magic Beasts - 2nd most common

1. vanilla game enemy count: 57
   1. proposed count: 53
   2. vulnerable to:
      1. Whips (cause Stun more often)
      2. Artemis Bow
      3. proposed new vulnerability:
         1. Earth (2x damage)
         2. Whips (2x damage)
2. reframed as most animals
   1. proposed adds (8):
      1. Devil Crab
      2. Faerie Orc
      3. Cure Beast
      4. Garula
      5. GaeliCat
      6. FlyingKillr
      7. Archeotoad
      8. Gil Turtle

Magic Beast enemies

| • Abductor (Castle Exdeath) ⭐ Archeotoad • Apanda • Bandercoeurl • Bandersnatch • Belphegor • Big Horn • Blind Wolf • Byblos • Calofisteri • Carbuncle • Catoblepas • Chimera Brain • Cray Claw • Cur Nakk • The Damned • Dechirer • Devilfish ⭐ Devil Crab • Dhorme Chimera ⭐ Faerie Orc (also Flying) | • Frost Bull ⭐FlyingKillr ⭐Gala Cat • Garula • Garula (boss) • Gatling ⭐Gil Turtle • Gobbledygook • Hedgehog • Hellraiser, ⭐Cure Beast • Imp • Ironback • Istory Lythos • Kuza Beast • Jackanapes (Castle Exdeath) • Lamia • Lamia Queen • Landcrawler • Lycaon • Magic Dragon • Mecha Head | • Moss Fungus • Neo Exdeath (middle) • Neo Garula • Nutkin • Oiseaurare • Pantera • Rajiformes • Sand Bear • Sekhmet • Shell Bear • Skull Eater • Spizzner • Stray Cat • Tatou • Tunneller • Twin Lizard • Twintania • Wild Nakk • Wyrm • Zephyrus | | --- | --- | --- |

1. remove some enemies (-9)
   1. since Demon is a new Type, several Magic Beasts are better suited for it
      1. Apanda & Byblos
      2. The Damned
      3. Dechirer
      4. Imp
      5. Jackanapes (Garkimasra)
      6. Oiseaurare
   2. some of these seem wrong
      1. Calofisteri (not a beast, a humanoid)
      2. Mecha Head (Dry & Machine)
      3. Zephyrus (humanoid)

#4 Undead (now tied for 4th place)

1. vanilla game enemy count: 28
2. exemptions to normal game mechanics
   1. immune to instant death (not Killer Bow, tho!!)
   2. fully healed by Doom
   3. harmed by healing
   4. killed by PhoenixDown
3. vulnerable to:
4. proposed new vulnerability: