By Zaraktheus Prime HP is the amount of HP a Monster PC adds to the Base Max HP for its current Form to determine its actual Max HP in that Form. Prime HP is determined by the number of different Monster Abilities the PC has absorbed at some time in its life (Notably, Kylin's Space Magic Spells DO NOT count towards Prime HP). Each such ability contributes 4 points towards Prime HP. There are 128 different Monster Abilities, so the highest Prime HP you could theoretically get would be 512, though it's important to realize that no Monster PC can actually get all 128 Abilities, so the actual Maximum Prime HP for each PC is somewhat lower. Each Monster PC begins with a certain list of abilities pre-absorbed, although the game never tells you this. Further, for Riki and Cotton, this list changes depending on which INITDATA was used to initialize the current scenario. If you don't know, there are four INITDATA files, each of which has different starting statistics, abilities, equipment, etc for each PC in the game. According to The Entity Blade, which INTIDATA you get is determined entirely by the final Battle Rank you had in the last scenario you finished and saved to your System Data, as follows: INIT 1: No System Data, new System Data, or no scenarios have yet been completed and saved to the System Data. INIT 2: Last scenario completed and saved to System Data ended at BR 1-3. INIT 3: Last scenario completed and saved to System Data ended at BR 4-6. INIT 4: Last scenario completed and saved to System Data ended at BR 7-9. For several of the Monster PCs, the developers forgot to include one or more of the PC's initially Equipped Abilities on the PC's pre-absorbed abilities list, so those abilities are NOT initially counted towards those PCs' Prime HP. However, this oversight will correct itself after the first battle in which each of these PCs participates, as the game will then update the PC's list of absorbed abilities to include anything it finds in the PC's Equipped Abilities. I'll tell you further down which PCs and abilities this applies to; just make sure you don't absorb something in the first battle with each of these PCs that overwrites any of these abilities, or you won't get credit from that ability towards your Prime HP unless you find and absorb it again, which isn't even possible in some cases. The following Monster Abilities can never be counted towards any Monster PC's Prime HP, because no PC starts with them, and they cannot be absorbed from any enemy in the game (to my knowledge): DeathGrip SpinAttack The following Monster Abilities cannot be absorbed from any enemy in the game (to my knowledge), so if a PC doesn't start with them pre-absorbed, that PC can never count them towards its Prime HP: DivingPress Kusanagi Kylin'sSong The following Monster Abilities can only be absorbed from enemies who are extremely rare, of limited supply, and/or only available in certain scenarios, so if a PC doesn't start with them pre-absorbed, that PC may not ever be able to count them towards its Prime HP, or may only be able to do so at the cost of preventing other PCs from doing so: BoomerangHook (Platyhooks) CentipedeCrush (Nidheg) Headbutt (Chariot, Cyclops) IllStorm (BlackKnight, Furdo, Tanzer) MinionStrike (Arachne) It's theoretically possible to get an infinite supply of Platyhooks out of the Small Treasure Chest in Mu's Tomb's Treasure Room, but this requires manipulating your Fortune, and there's still only a 1% chance each time. However, the only PC that doesn't start with BoomerangHook pre-absorbed is INIT 1 Riki, so this doesn't need to be a common problem. With CentipedeCrush, again, the only PC that doesn't start with it pre-absorbed is INIT 1 Riki. The only scenario in which INIT 1 Riki can't have an opportunity to absorb it is Emelia's, since she must fight the Nidheg before she can recruit Riki. No PCs start with Headbutt or IllStorm pre-absorbed. Illstorm can be absorbed in any scenario except Blue's. For Headbutt, there's one Cyclops in Red's scenario (a mini-boss in Shuzer Base), you may be able to find Cyclops and/or Chariots in the Spike Room of Virgil's Palace in Riki's scenario, and you can repeatedly fight Cyclops and/or Chariots at the base of the goddess statue in the Magic Kingdom in Blue's scenario, provided you get there during BR 5-6. According to winterking heish, no other scenarios are known to offer a Cyclops or Chariot accessible to Monster PCs. Only Sei starts with MinionStrike. MinionStrike can only be absorbed during Red's scenario. Finally, only Thunder and Riki can get the Prime HP bonus from Feint. Thunder starts with it pre-absorbed, and Riki is the only PC who can absorb it, which he can only do from the Pink Lummox enemies during his intro in Margmel, meaning that he can only do this in his own scenario. For each Monster PC, I list its initial Max HP (in its original Form) with each INITDATA, to help you easily identify which version of that PC you have. I also give the initial Prime HP with that INITDATA and list the specific abilities that are pre-absorbed. For Riki and Cotton, all the abilities from your INIT and all lower INITs count as pre-absorbed, so if you have e.g. INIT 3, you will have the abilities from INIT 3, INIT 2, and INIT 1 all pre- absorbed. I also list the Maximum Prime HP achievable by each PC at each INIT, as determined by which of the unabsorbable or almost-unabsorbable abilities that PC has pre-absorbed. Monster PC Prime HP Data: Riki: INIT 1: Max HP: 72 Prime HP: 12 Maximum Prime HP: 488 (Riki); 480 (other scenario); 476 (Emelia) Heal Tail TailHit INIT 2: Max HP: 88 Prime HP: 28 Maximum Prime HP: 488 (Riki); 480 (other scenario) + BoomerangHook CentipedeCrush Deathsynthesis Photosynthesis INIT 3: Max HP: 104 Prime HP: 44 Maximum Prime HP: 492 (Riki); 484 (other scenario) + DivingPress Ignis LifeRain PoisonGun INIT 4: Max HP: 120 Prime HP: 60 Maximum Prime HP: 492 (Riki); 484 (other scenario) + BattleSong MagneticStorm SadSong Silf Thunder: INIT 1-4: Max HP: 228 Prime HP: 48 Maximum Prime HP: 496 (Red); 492 (Riki); 488 (other scenario) BoltBreath BoomerangHook CentipedeCrush Dash Deathsynthesis DivingPress Feint GroundHit Ignis LifeRain Photosynthesis PoisonGun Cotton: INIT 1: Max HP: 228 Prime HP: 48 Maximum Prime HP: 492 (Red); 488 (Riki); 484 (other scenario) Assist BoomerangHook CentipedeCrush Deathsynthesis DivingPress Heal Ignis LifeRain Needles Photosynthesis PoisonGun Supersonic INIT 2: Max HP: 244 Prime HP: 64 Maximum Prime HP: 492 (Red); 488 (Riki); 484 (other scenario) + BattleSong MagneticStorm SadSong Silf INIT 3: Max HP: 260 Prime HP: 80 Maximum Prime HP: 492 (Red); 488 (Riki); 484 (other scenario) + Quake QuickSand Rock Tremor INIT 4: Max HP: 276 Prime HP: 96 Maximum Prime HP: 492 (Red); 488 (Riki); 484 (other scenario) + Da-dum LightBall Scream Siren Sei: INIT 1-4: Max HP = 444, -> 448 after 1 battle. Prime HP: 204, -> 208 after 1 battle. Maximum Prime HP: 496 (Red/Riki); 492 (other scenario) Assist BattleSong Beak Beat Bloodsucker BoomerangHook BrainCrush CentipedeCrush CharmGaze Da-dum DaggerJaw DeathGaze Deathsynthesis DivingPress DoubleAxe ElfShot Fang FangCrush Grasp GremlinTouch HeatWave Horn HPDrain Hypnotism Ignis LifeRain LightBall Lullaby Maelstrom MagicHeal MagneticStorm MightyCyclone MinionStrike Petrify Photosynthesis PoisonGun Quake QuickSand Rock SacredSong SadSong Scream Silf Siren Spoil StoneGaze StunGaze Supersonic Thrust Tornado Tremor *Kusanagi *Note that, due to a developer error, although Sei has Kusanagi in his Equipped Abilities, it is NOT initially counted toward his Prime HP. However, this oversight will correct itself after Sei participates in his first battle, provided you don't absorb something that overwrites Kusanagi in that battle. Kylin: INIT 1-4: Max HP: 540, -> 544 after 1 battle. Prime HP: 140, -> 144 after 1 battle. Maximum Prime HP: 496 (Red); 492 (Riki); 488 (other scenario) Assist BattleSong BoomerangHook CentipedeCrush Da-dum Deathsynthesis DivingPress ElfShot FireBreath FlameBlast GremlinTouch HeatWave Ignis LifeRain LightBall Lullaby Maelstrom MagicHeal MagneticStorm MightyCyclone Photosynthesis PoisonGun Quake QuickSand Rock SacredSong SadSong Scream Silf Siren Spoil StunGaze Supersonic Tornado Tremor *Kylin'sSong *Note that, due to a developer error, although Kylin has Kylin'sSong in its Equipped Abilities, it is NOT initially counted toward its Prime HP. However, this oversight will correct itself after Kylin participates in its first battle, provided you don't absorb something that overwrites Kylin'sSong in that battle. Slime: INIT 1-4: Max HP: 130, -> 134 after 1 battle. Prime HP: 40, -> 44 after 1 battle. Maximum Prime HP: 492 (Red); 484 (other scenario) BoomerangHook CentipedeCrush Deathsynthesis DivingPress Ignis LifeRain Photosynthesis PoisonGun Solvent Spoil *HPDrain *Note that, due to a developer error, although Slime has HPDrain in its Equipped Abilities, it is NOT initially counted toward its Prime HP. However, this oversight will correct itself after Slime participates in its first battle, provided you don't absorb something that overwrites HPDrain in that battle. Suzaku: INIT 1-4: Max HP: 580 Prime HP: 140 Maximum Prime HP: 496 (Red); 492 (Riki); 488 (other scenario) ArcticBreath BattleSong BoltBlast BoltBreath BoomerangHook CentipedeCrush Da-dum Deathsynthesis DivingPress ElfShot FireBarrier FireBreath FlameBlast GasFlame GliderSpike Ignis Ink Kusanagi LifeRain LightBall Lullaby Maelstrom MagneticStorm Photosynthesis PoisonGun Quake QuickSand Rock SadSong Scream Silf Siren Supersonic Tremor Wing RedTurnip: INIT 1-4: Max HP: 260, -> 272 after 1 battle. Prime HP: 100, -> 112 after 1 battle. Maximum Prime HP: 484 BattleSong BoomerangHook BrainCrush CentipedeCrush Da-dum DivingPress ElfShot Fang Ignis LifeRain LightBall Lullaby Maelstrom MagneticStorm PoisonGun Quake QuickSand Rock SadSong Scream Silf Siren SleepGas Supersonic Tremor *Bloodsucker *Ink *SeedVulcan *Note that, due to multiple developer errors, although RedTurnip has Bloodsucker, Ink, and SeedVulcan in its Equipped Abilities, they are NOT initially counted toward its Prime HP. However, this oversight will correct itself after RedTurnip participates in its first battle, provided you don't absorb something that overwrites Bloodsucker, Ink, or SeedVulcan in that battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Credit to The Entity Blade for explaining how the game determines which INITDATA to use. Thanks to winterking heish for providing a list of places where Cyclops and Chariot can be fought. Thanks also to Myertch_Aileron for being the first to mention that Cyclops could be fought in the spike room of Virgil's Palace. Copyright 2009 Henry (Hank) Jones. This document may be not be reproduced, in whole or in part, under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.