BOSS BESTIARY
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     SAMPLE H05 12 Level:19  HP:1000  MP:120  The lovely beastie that gets released when you rescue Red XIII and Aeris from the big cage. This big bruiser sits in the back rank, so all your attacks will only do half damage.  Poison magic heals it; Ice and Fire work well against it.  It has three little critters in front of it that do most of the attacking; if one of them is killed, it'll cast Reanimagic, which resurrects it.  When you kill H05 12, you'll kill the little rolly-critters.
     SAMPLE H05 12-OPT  Level:7  HP:300  MP:48  These are the little beasties that shield H05 12.  They can cast Fire, and have a rolling attack.  Whenever you kill one, H05 will resurrect it.
    HUNDRED GUNNER  Level:18  HP:1600  The Hundred Gunner is the first robot Aeris, Barret, and Red face in the elevator of Shinra HQ.  Like all robots, it's weak against lightning.  It's on another platform, so besides Sled Fang, Barret will be the only one who can attack it.  It has a couple moderately powerful artillery attacks, and two that will hit all the characters in the group; none of its attacks do enough damage to be a major threat.
    HELI GUNNER  Level:19  HP:1000  The Heli Gunner is the little bot that comes down the shaft after you destroy the Hundred Gunner.  It's a robot, so it's weak against lightning; it's flying, so it's weak against wind.  It isn't that dangerous until you've hurt it a bit and it starts resorting to physical attacks.  You'll have the same limitations on physical attacks as with the Hundred Gunner.
     RUFUSLevel:21  HP:500  Rufus is surprisingly tough, especially after his pet, the Dark Nation, casts Barrier on him.  He has a shotgun attack that does about 50 damage, but he's faster than you are, so he usually gets in two attacks for every one of yours.  (And the fact that you only have Cloud doesn't help.)  Poison works well on him, and Limit Breaks aren't affected by his pet's barrier.  I once went into this battle without a Cure materia equipped; it lasted all of a minute and a half. I got my butt kicked.
    DARK NATION    Level:18  HP:140  MP:80  Rufus's cute little kitty cat.  The first thing the Dark Nation does is cast Barrier on its master; you can't stop this.  If left alone, it will proceed to cast Barrier on itself, then cast Mbarrier on Rufus.  It has two attacks: a Bolt spell that does about 80 damage, and a plain bite attack that normally does around 30 damage.  However, I have seen it get a critical hit on the bite and do over 100 damage.  I highly suggest that you kill the kitty before you even worry about Rufus.
    MOTOR BALL  Level:19  HP:2600  MP:120  The Motor Ball is the thing that comes up behind you after the Bike Chase.  It's weak against lightning, like most mechanical enemies.  The Motor Ball gets a free attack from behind.  I'd advise that, when you're arranging your party before the bike chase, you reverse your ranks-put Cloud in back, and Tifa or Red in back, and put Aeris or Barret in front-so you won't have to Change during the battle.  The Motor Ball has three basic attacks-an Arm Attack that does a good bit of damage, a flamethrower that does low-moderate damage to the entire group, and a spinning, flaming attack that does moderate-heavy damage to the entire group.  It will only use this third attack once or twice; I've fought it when it didn't use it at all.
     ZOLOM  Level: 26  HP:4000  MP:200  The Zolom is the big snake that lives in the swamp south of the Chocobo farm.  They're the only enemy in the game that you can actually see coming-a cue to get your chocobo to run the heck away.  If you don't have a chocobo, it attacks you.  However, you can come back later in the game and kill as many Zoloms as you like.  He has three attacks:  a bite for 200 damage, a special attack that knocks one character off screen and out of the battle, and Beta, a nuke attack for 500-1500 points of damage that you can steal with an Enemy Skill materia-assuming you survive.  He doesn't like Gravity magic, and using it on him will cause him to knock the last character in the row off screen and use beta.
    BOTTOMSWELL  Level:23  HP:2500  MP:100  This flying eel thing attacks you at Junon town.  It's flying, so it's weak against Wind; I advise the Choco/Mog summon as an opening attack.  It will occasionally encase a character in a bubble; that character can't do anything but drown.  In order to free them, assign a spell, point at the character in the bubble, then hit up; you'll target the bubble.  When the spell goes off, the bubble pops.  Only limit breaks and ranged attacks can reach Bottomswell; the only two characters that can attack it normally are Yuffie and Barret.
    JENOVA*BIRTH  Level:25  HP:4000  MP:110  The first incarnation of Jenova you'll fight, and one of the toughest-the second and third can be turned into pinatas, and you can prevent the fourth from making any attacks at all.  Sephiroth drops this creature on you as he's leaving the Cargo Ship.  It has a standard attack where it breathes a laser at one character, for just over 100 points of damage.  Besides that attack, it has the W-Laser attack, which does around 150-175 damage to one character; the Gas attack, which does between 100-200 points of damage to one character, and can poison the target; and the Tail Laser, which does 150-175 damage to all characters and is used twice in a row.
    RUDE, GONGAGA BATTLE
     RENO, GONGAGA BATTLE
     ELENA, GONGAGA BATTLE
     GI NATTAK
     LOST NUMBER
     MATERIA KEEPER
     PALMER
     RAPPS
     ANCIENT DRAGONS Level:34  HP:2400 MP:450  These are the giant dragonflies you'll fight if you let the second hand of the Time Guardian knock you off the platform.  They're weak against Gravity and Wind.  They have a fairly nasty fire-based attack called Southern Cross.  You'll also see these beasties in Battle Square.
     RED DRAGON  Level:39  HP:6800  MP:300  The Red Dragon is the first boss in the Temple of the Ancients.  While he isn't a scrub, he's not that hard.  In fact, the first time I went through this game,  I thought they let you get off easy.  He has two physical attacks and a Red Dragon Breath that does 600-800 points of damage.  I've gotten the Fat Chocobo special on him using Choco/Mog. Gravity doesn't seem to bother him.  With Windows 98, if Cid does his Hyper Jump Limit Break, it will poof sometimes.
    DEMON'S GATE  Level:45  HP:10000  MP:400  You first see this beast in one of the best "Moments of Dawning Recognition" in this game, as Cloud stands with his back to it, oblivious, while Aeris and your third character back towards the door.  It has two attacks that affect everyone: A Demon Rush that does moderate damage, and a Cave-In that does heavy damage.  If it spends a round inching forward, you can expect a Demon Rush soon after; I have yet to see any warning of the Cave-In.  Luckily, it only uses the Cave-In once or twice, sometimes not at all.  Aeris's Great Gospel with the Fury trick can make this battle a lot easier.  This is the last battle in the game where you'll have Aeris with you.  She leaves the group soon after this.
    JENOVA*LIFE  Level:50  HP:10000  MP:300  Jenova's second incarnation is weak against Earth.  She has three attacks:  Blue Light, a 400-500 damage attack that affects one character; Blue Flame, a 500-600 damage attack that affects one character; and the Aqualung attack, which you can learn with the Enemy Skill Materia.  It does between 800 and 1000 damage to everyone.  However, all of these attacks are magical, and use up MP.  All of them are also Water attacks.  You will want the Water Ring equipped.  My favorite way to defeat this creature is the "Pinata Trick"; give the character with the Water Ring a Life and Restore Materia, possibly linked to some Alls.  Then, let Jenova kill the other two.  Your sole living character can sit there and do nothing, because Jenova can't hurt them.  When Jenova runs out of MP-you'll get a message saying "Jenova*LIFE's Skill Points are gone"-resurrect the other two, heal them up, and pick Jenova apart at your leisure.  All she can do at that point is sit there and look ugly and stupid.
    SCHIZO Schizo, Right: Level 43, HP 18,000, MP 350 (Scaly head); Schizo, Left: Level 43, HP 18,000, MP 350 (Beaked head).  Schizo's two heads are almost separate monsters.  The right head breathes fire, and is healed by fire attacks; the left head breathes ice, and is healed by cold attacks.  The breath weapons individually do between 500 and 600 damage.  The two heads can combine their breath weapons into a 700 to 750 point attack.  Either head can also use an earthquake attack that does about 650 damage.  On its death, each head does a 600-1500 point attack; if you kill both heads at the same time, this retributive strike WILL kill you.  Take care to only kill one head at a time.
     JENOVA*DEATHLevel: 55   HP:25,000  MP:800  Jenova's third incarnation, this one uses all fire-based magical attacks.  It can cast Silence, use a Tropical Wind attack that does 650-700 points of damage, and a Red Light attack that does 750 damage.  It moves very fast, and can do horrendous amounts of damage in a single turn.  It is NOT immune to fire, surprisingly, although fire attacks don't do that much damage to it.  The Pinata Trick can be used on Jenova*DEATH, so long as you give the Healer a Fire Armlet, Dragon Armlet, or Fire Ring.  Keep an Echo Screen around; Jenova*DEATH will often Silence the Healer, making the Pinata Trick almost useless.
    ULTIMA WEAPON-MIDEEL: I'll have to download his stats off the web somewhere; you can't Sense him.  He has an Ultima Beam attack that does 1000-2000 damage to the whole party, and several other nasty attacks.  Cure constantly, and hit him with your hardest spells-Ultima, Neo-Bahamut, Contain...You get the drill.  Unfortunately, he flies away, and you get NO exp and NO gil from him.  (*Cheep, cheep, cheep*....)
     CARRY ARMOR: Level
     RENO, GELNICA BATTLE: Level:52  HP:15,000 MP:230  Reno has two attacks.  The first, a simple strike with that odd weapon he carries, only does 250-300 damage.  The second, the Neo-Turk Light, is far more hazardous, even though it doesn't do any damage(believe me, he uses it eagerly).  The Neo-Turk Light almost always acts as a Confu spell.  He can turn your entire party against each other.  The best advice is to just hit anyone affected by it, first chance you get; they'll take a lot of damage, but they won't inflict damage on your party.  If you don't snap your characters out of it as soon as possible, he can get all three of them Confused.  (Not for long, but he can do it.)
     RUDE, GELNICA BATTLE  Level:49  HP:20,000  MP:280  Rude has a basic punch attack that does about 600 damage; besides that, he can cast Cure 2 and Fire 2.  Even though Rude can heal both of them and cast spells, I still recommend concentrating on Reno first, just to get rid of that annoying Neo-Turk Light.
    RUDE, ROCKET TOWN  Level:42  HP:9000  MP:240  Rude has two attacks in Rocket Town: the Grand Spark skill that does about 500 electrical damage, and a punch attack that does 600 damage.  He's accompanied by two bucketheads with the standard attacks; an inneffectual machine-gun attack, a grenade that does minimal damage to the whole group, and a gas attack that puts one character to sleep and afflicts them with Darkness.  Take out the Bucketheads first, because Rude will always take advantage of the sleep-gas attack to do serious damage to your party.
    DIAMOND WEAPON
     RUBY WEAPON
     EMERALD WEAPON
     ULTIMA WEAPON
     RENO, SISTER RAY BATTLE  Level:50  HP:25,000  MP:200  Reno has three basic attacks: a regular attack with that wierd electrified rod-thingie for 300 damage; the Electropod attack for 700 to 800 damage; and the Turk Light for 600 damage.  He doesn't have any special weaknesses or resistances.  He'll usually hang back and use the Turk Light, with an occasional Electroprod.  The Electroprod can Stun characters it hits.
    RUDE, SISTER RAY BATTLE  Level:52  HP:28,000  MP:250  Rude and Elena are the two with the most damaging attacks.  Rude has two main forms of attack: His standard punch for 600-800 damage, and the Grand Spark Skill.  Rude's Grand Spark has gotten a HECK of a lot more powerful since you last saw him; it now does around 1000 damage per hit.  Rude and Elena do most of the attacking, as well.
     ELENA, SISTER RAY BATTLE  Elena has two damaging attacks and one really nasty one.  Elena has a normal kick attack for about 600 damage, and can throw light bombs that do betwen 600-800 damage and count as a ranged attack.  She also has a Confuse attack which is especially nasty-the affected character won't snap out of it if they're hit by an enemy attack!  They won't attack the Turks, and if they hit themselves, they won't snap out of it.  Another character has to hit them to get rid of the confusion.
     PROUD CLOD  Level: Unknown  HP:83,000  MP:Unknown  The Proud Clod is Scarlett and Heidegger's idea of Anti-Weapon artillery.  It does have some potent attacks, and has too dang many HP, but it's SLOW and it's STUPID.  It can shoot one character for 1000 HP, however this is not a ranged attack, and does half damage to characters in the back rank.  It has a Wrist Laser that does around 550 damage, a Knee Bend that does about 600 damage, and after you beat on it enough, it will lean down.  When it crouches down, it only has one attack: a Beam Cannon that does about 1000 damage to everybody.  It gives up a sword for Cloud when it's dead.
    HOJO   Level 50  HP:13,000  MP:250  This is just for his first form, the somewhat-human one.  His first action will be Capsule, which summons two critters to his side: Bad Rap Sample (Level 34 HP:11,000 MP:120) and Poodler Sample (Level 42  HP:10,000  MP:200), which you may recognize as some of the critters that escaped from the mobile Gelnica lab.  If either one dies, he'll use Capsule again, which will re-create it and heal up the other one.  Once you do enough damage, he morphs into Helletic Hojo (Level 55  HP:26,000  MP:200), who is one of those hated "Composite bosses"-his arms have their own HP totals.  (Right Arm  Level:55  HP:5,000  MP:300) (Left Arm  Level:55  HP:24,000  MP:400)  Killing the arms won't do any good, because he'll just regrow them.  Concentrate your attacks on the main body.  He can cast Confu, has a Claw attack for about 700 damage, and has the Bio Gas attack for 500-700 damage plus poison.  His final morph, the "Wasp-Thingie" (Level:??  HP:Too dang many  MP:Ditto)  has two main attacks: It can cast a Slow over the entire party, and has an attack called Combo that is a string of three or four 300-700 damage attacks, each of which can inflict status ailments of various sorts.
     JENOVA*OMNI
    SEPHIROTH'S BIZARRO AVATAR
     SEPHIROTH'S WINGED AVATAR
    SEPHIROTH-FINAL DUEL :Nice try.  I'm only giving one hint about this one.  "There is no try-only do." (Yoda, Empire Strikes Back.)