The Complete Guide to Phantasy Star III

The technique system in Phantasy Star III is different from the magic system in most RPGs. Rather than learn techniques, characters start with all the techniques they can use. There are four groups of techniques (each explained below) that share a grid of power. All techniques in a group have the same technique point cost. The technique grids are adjustable so you can increase techniques at the expense of others.

Every town, except Landen, has a technique redistribution shop (OK, it has one but it's empty). This is where you can modify the power of techniques. Initially your techniques will be balanced:



The next screenshot shows how it would look if you maximized the Res technique by lowering Gires, Rever, and Anti:



The technique grid can grow as levels are gained so sometimes you'll want to go back and redistribute again.

Users
        

Cost: 5 technique points

Res: Restores hit points to a single member of the party.

Gires: Restores hit points to all members of the party.

Rever: Raises a character who has died. The success rate is based on the power of the technique.

Anti: Cures a character who has been poisoned. The success rate is based on the power of the technique.

Advice: I usually max-out Gires because it's extremely handy against bosses who can damage all members of the party. It also conserves technique points since it's the same cost as Res; you can heal everyone in the group with 1-2 casts vs. 5. If I have a group with multiple healers I'll max-out one Rever just in case someone dies during a critical fight. I usually don't bother increasing Res or Anti since you can carry items to accomplish the same.

Users
    

Cost: 2 technique points

Foi: Attacks a single enemy.

Gra: Attacks all enemies.

Tsu: Attacks one group (side) of enemies.

Zan: Attacks one row (front or back) of enemies.

Advice: I never use melee techniques, most of the regular attacks are just as good or better. Zan is the most useful though because many of the bosses have a row of "guards" in front of them and a powerful Zan can help eliminate them quickly.

Users
    

Cost: 1 technique point

Fanbi: Increases the attack power of a single ally. Can be cast multiple times during a battle and the effect is cumulative.

Forsa: Kills a single enemy. The success rate is based on the power of the technique. Does not work against bosses.

Nasak: Restores all hit points to the party but kills the caster.

Shu: Increases the defense of a single ally. Can be cast multiple times during a battle and the effect is cumulative.

Advice: Fanbi and Shu are the two most useful ones in this group. After a couple rounds of Fanbi it's possible to do thousands of hit points of damage with a single attack. It can make the battle against Dark Force very entertaining. If you're thinking of a solo quest or other challenge then maxing-out one of these two is essential.

Users
    

Cost: 1 technique point

Deban: Stops an enemy from using physical attacks. Does not work against bosses.

Ner: Increases the speed of a single ally. Can be cast multiple times during a battle and the effect is cumulative.

Rimit: Increases the success rate for running from a battle. Can be cast multiple times during a battle and the effect is cumulative. Does not work against bosses.

Shiza: Stops an enemy from using techniques. Does not work against bosses.

Advice: I rarely use the spells in this group but find Ner to be the one worth maxing-out. If you're considering a solo challenge then Rimit is the one to go with.

I'll try to keep this spoiler-free... late in the game Mieu will acquire the Grantz technique and the main character will acquire the Megido technique. Neither can be cast directly and are triggered at a specific time.

Many of the techniques in PSIII also appear in PSII. In some cases the techniques are exactly the same, other times the two games may share a technique name that produces different results. The biggest difference is that techniques are learned as characters gain levels in PSII. There is no technique redistrubtion but more powerful versions can be learned. These upgraded versions are prefixed with Gi-, Na-, and Sa-. For example: Foi is the basic fire technique, Gifoi is more powerful, and Nafoi is the most powerful. Most of the PSII techniques were carried over to PSIV.

Phantasy Star Online contains some techniques with similar names to the ones found in the original series. Like PSII and PSIV it uses a prefix to denote an upgraded spell version, however the Na- prefix was replaced by Ra-.

PSIII Technique	PSII Technique	Phantasy Star Online Technique
Res	Technique is the same with Gires and Nares upgrades.	Resta is the equivalent technique.
Gires	Sar is the equivalent technique, has Gisar and Nasar upgrades.	After reaching level 3 the user gains the ability to cast Resta on the entire party.
Rever	Technique is the same but with 100% success rate.	Reverser is the equivalent technique.
Anti	Technique is the same but with 100% success rate.	Technique is the same but with 100% success rate, as the user gains levels they can cast it on the entire party and cure other status effects.
Foi	Technique is the same with Gifoi and Nafoi upgrades.	The Foie technique is basically the same, has Gifoie and Rafoie upgrades that attack multiple enemies.
Gra	Technique is the same with Gigra and Nagra upgrades.	No equivalent technique.
Tsu	The PSII version attacks a single enemy, has Githu and Nathu upgrades.	The Barta technique is the closest to Tsu and Zan.
Zan	Technique is the same with Gizan and Nazan upgrades.	The Barta technique is the closest to Tsu and Zan.
Fanbi	The PSII version of Fanbi drains hit points from a single monster, the Shift technique has the same effect as the PSIII Fanbi.	The Shifta technique is equivalent to the PSIII Fanbi technique
Forsa	The PSII version of Forsa causes one robot to be confused, Vol and Brose are the equivalent techniques to the PSIII Forsa.	The Megid technique is equivalent to the PSIII Forsa technique.
Nasak	Technique is the same.	No equivalent technique.
Shu	Technique is the same with Sashu variant that effects all characters in the party.	The Deband technique is the closest to Shu.
Deban	The PSII version of Deban creates a shield that reduces damage from techniques.	The Deband technique is closer to the PSII Deban technique, the Jellen technique weakens an enemy's attack power but does not stop them from attacking.
Ner	Technique is the same with Saner variant that effects all characters in the party.	No equivalent technique.
Rimit	No technique with equivalent effect, the PSII version of Rimit freezes one monster.	No equivalent technique.
Shiza	Same technique but only works on monsters, the Conte technique has the same effect on robots.	The Zalure technique weakens an enemy's technique power but does not stop them from using techniques.
Grantz	The Hinas technique in PSII has the same result as Grantz.	PSO has an offensive technique called Grants that is not similar despite the close names, Ryuker is the closest technique to Grantz.
Megido	Rolf gains a technique called Megid in PSII that he can cast in any battle. Based on the effects, it's safe to say these are intended to be similar techniques.	The Megid technique in PSO is roughly equivalent to the PSIII Forsa technique.