Final Fantasy IV PS1 Character Guide
Palom: Abilities and Level Progression
Palom joins in Mysidia at Level 10 with 100 HP and 50 MP. He’s the Black Mage of the twins, and he belongs in the back row. His weapon goes in his left hand.
If you kept EquipmentEquippable by Rydia (both forms), Palom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Power 5; Acc 45%. Attack element: Ice. Effective against Reptile enemies. Reusable Item spell: Ice1., equip it now. It is a useful upgrade without another shopping trip, and its reusable Item attack helps stretch his MP.
What Does He Learn Next?
| Available | Black Magic | MP | Useful for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting spells | MagicA 5-MP Black Magic spell on Tellah's starting list that Rydia learns while melting the ice at Mt. Hobs-West., MagicA spell Rydia learns on her first level-up after joining, announced beside an ice icon., MagicA spell Rydia learns upon reaching Level 5; its list, icon, and MP cost remain to be captured. | 5 each | Picking an appropriate element. |
| Starting spell | Sleep | 12 | Controlling susceptible enemies. |
| Starting spell | Venom | 2 | A cheap status option. |
| By Level 12 | MagicBlack Magic in Tellah's post-trial menu, costing 15 MP. Its effect has not yet been tested on this run. | 15 | Stronger ice damage. |
| By Level 12 | Piggy | 1 | Pig transformation, including curing it on allies. |
| Level 12 | MagicBlack Magic in Tellah's post-trial menu, costing 15 MP. Its effect has not yet been tested on this run. | 15 | Stronger fire damage. |
| Level 13 | MagicBlack Magic in Tellah's post-trial menu, costing 15 MP. Its effect has not yet been tested on this run. | 15 | Stronger lightning damage. |
| Level 14 | Stop | 15 | Buying time against a dangerous target. |
| Level 19 | Magic20-MP Black Magic learned by Palom at Level 19. Its combat effect has not yet been tested on this run. | 20 | Another offensive option. |
| Level 22 | Toad | 7 | Transforming susceptible targets. |
| Level 23 | Quake | 30 | Earth-based offense. |
“By Level 12” does not mean “learns at 12.” MagicBlack Magic in Tellah's post-trial menu, costing 15 MP. Its effect has not yet been tested on this run. and Piggy were already present in that menu, but their individual learning levels are not established here. Missing rows are not a promise that nothing is learned.
Piggy Is Also a Cure
If the Mysidia dancer turns everyone into pigs, use Piggy on the affected allies. It works on one character or the whole party for 1 MP. Applying and reversing Toad did NOT cure Pig in the tested sequence; use the spell for the ailment you actually have.
Commands Worth Knowing
His ordinary list is Fight, Black, Twin, Bluff, Item. Bluff applies the displayed “Magic up” effect to Palom. Don’t assume repeated Bluff gives an unlimited permanent boost.
Twin: Budget for Both Casters
Twin’s Pyro result hits the enemy group and costs 10 MP from EACH twin, not 10 MP between them. In the controlled example, both went from 50 MP to 40 MP.
Keep both available and healthy if you intend to use it. Sometimes the better choice is to let Palom handle offense while Porom heals. Don’t give up the healer’s action just because a combined attack sounds impressive. Don’t assume every Twin use will produce Pyro.
Base Stats by Level
These are base primary stats, with equipment bonuses removed. HP and MP are the recorded maxima from this run, not guaranteed rolls. A dash means the base value is not established; missing levels are not interpolated. Attack, Defense and their multipliers are separate derived combat values.
| Level | Max HP | Max MP | Str | Agil | Vit | Wis | Will |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 100 | 50 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 10 |
| 11 | 117 | 59 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 10 |
| 12 | 134 | 67 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 10 |
| 13 | 151 | 75 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 10 |
| 14 | 176 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | 203 | 91 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 11 |
| 16 | 228 | 99 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 21 | 11 |
| 17 | 252 | 108 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 11 |
| 18 | 286 | 116 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 23 | 11 |
| 19 | 321 | 125 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 24 | 11 |
| 20 | 356 | 133 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 25 | 12 |
| 21 | 389 | 141 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 26 | 12 |
| 22 | 422 | 150 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 27 | 12 |
| 23 | 458 | 158 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 28 | 12 |
| 24 | 491 | 166 | 17 | 12 | 14 | 29 | 12 |
| 25 | 524 | 174 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 30 | 13 |
Gains between adjacent recorded levels
| Reaching level | HP gain | MP gain | Primary-stat change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | +17 | +9 | Str +1, Vit +1, Wis +1 |
| 12 | +17 | +8 | Str +1, Vit +1, Wis +1 |
| 13 | +17 | +8 | Str +1, Agil +1, Wis +1 |
| 14 | +25 | +8 | Incomplete comparison |
| 15 | +27 | +8 | Incomplete comparison |
| 16 | +25 | +8 | Str +1, Vit +1, Wis +1 |
| 17 | +24 | +9 | Str +1, Agil +1, Vit +1, Wis +1 |
| 18 | +34 | +8 | Str +1, Wis +1 |
| 19 | +35 | +9 | Str +1, Vit +1, Wis +1 |
| 20 | +35 | +8 | Agil +1, Wis +1, Will +1 |
| 21 | +33 | +8 | Str +1, Vit +1, Wis +1 |
| 22 | +33 | +9 | Vit +1, Wis +1 |
| 23 | +36 | +8 | Str +1, Agil +1, Wis +1 |
| 24 | +33 | +8 | Vit +1, Wis +1 |
| 25 | +33 | +8 | Str +1, Wis +1, Will +1 |
Equipment Modifiers
Equipment bonuses are fixed; they do not increase with your level. Add these primary-stat modifiers to the base values above. Defense and evasion belong to the equipment/combat calculation, not the five primary stats. This is the relevant equipment selection, not an exhaustive catalog.
| Equipment | Primary-stat modifier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rod / EquipmentEquippable by Rydia (both forms), Palom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Power 5; Acc 45%. Attack element: Ice. Effective against Reptile enemies. Reusable Item spell: Ice1.; Feather, Leather and EquipmentEquippable by Edge, Rydia (both forms), Rosa, Yang, Palom, Porom, Edward, Tellah, FuSoYa. Def 2; Eva 0; Mag Def 2; Mag Eva 1%. | None to the five primary stats | Early outfit. |
| Magus | +3 Wis, +3 Will | Fixed headgear bonuses. |
| EquipmentEquippable by Rydia (both forms), Palom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Power 7; Acc 45%; Wisdom +3. Attack element: Fire. Reusable Item spell: Fire1. | +3 Wis | Replacing it with EquipmentEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Edge, Rydia (both forms), Palom, Edward. Power 28; Acc 94%. Reusable Item attack with no MP cost. removes this bonus. |
| EquipmentEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Edge, Rydia (both forms), Palom, Edward. Power 28; Acc 94%. Reusable Item attack with no MP cost.; EquipmentEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Rydia (both forms), Rosa, Palom, Porom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Def 3; Eva 0; Mag Def 3; Mag Eva 3%. Protects against Petrify. and Silver | None to the five primary stats | Attack and protection still matter. |
Starting outfit and full combat profile
LHnd Rod, RHnd empty, Feather head, Leather body, EquipmentEquippable by Edge, Rydia (both forms), Rosa, Yang, Palom, Porom, Edward, Tellah, FuSoYa. Def 2; Eva 0; Mag Def 2; Mag Eva 1%. arms. With the starting outfit: Attack 1 × 6, Accuracy 42%, Defense 1 × 8, Evasion 26%, Mag Def 0 × 6, Mag Eva 8%. Fully unequipped: Attack 1 × 3, Accuracy 52%, Defense 1 × 2, Evasion 30%, Mag Def 0 × 0, Mag Eva 3%; primary stats unchanged.
EquipmentEquippable by Rydia (both forms), Palom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Power 5; Acc 45%. Attack element: Ice. Effective against Reptile enemies. Reusable Item spell: Ice1. raises Attack 1 × 6→1 × 8 and Accuracy 42%→47% without changing those defensive fields. Starting EXP 1,957 plus 735 Next puts Level 11 at 2,692 total EXP.
Mysidia return and Dancing (equipment spoilers)
Rod or Dancing?
The Magus/EquipmentEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Rydia (both forms), Rosa, Palom, Porom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Def 3; Eva 0; Mag Def 3; Mag Eva 3%. Protects against Petrify./Silver armor outfit improves his protection. At Level 21, it raises Wis 26→29 and Will 12→15. EquipmentEquippable by Rydia (both forms), Palom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Power 7; Acc 45%; Wisdom +3. Attack element: Fire. Reusable Item spell: Fire1. adds another 3 Wis, giving 32 with that outfit.
EquipmentEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Edge, Rydia (both forms), Palom, Edward. Power 28; Acc 94%. Reusable Item attack with no MP cost. is equippable by Palom, but NOT Porom in the tested selection. Replacing EquipmentEquippable by Rydia (both forms), Palom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Power 7; Acc 45%; Wisdom +3. Attack element: Fire. Reusable Item spell: Fire1. with EquipmentEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Edge, Rydia (both forms), Palom, Edward. Power 28; Acc 94%. Reusable Item attack with no MP cost. raises Attack 3 × 16→3 × 37 and Accuracy 50%→99%, while Wis falls 32→29. That’s a tradeoff between casting stats and a stronger reusable weapon option.
Item→equipped EquipmentEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Edge, Rydia (both forms), Palom, Edward. Power 28; Acc 94%. Reusable Item attack with no MP cost. produced a reusable, no-MP attack in the battle test. Keep EquipmentEquippable by Rydia (both forms), Palom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Power 7; Acc 45%; Wisdom +3. Attack element: Fire. Reusable Item spell: Fire1. if you want to swap back for its Wis bonus; don’t count the three-point loss as a bad level-up.
The base-stat table above already removes these equipment bonuses. Changing outfits does not start a new growth track.