Chrono series

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge Part 1


It was uncertain which element color would be used for a new playthrough.  Then the Fort Dragonia dream sequence provided Orcha the Red chef as the random party member.  Since both Kid and Orcha were Red, that was to be the variant.  These were their stats in case any reader is wondering.


Serge

HP:  243
STR:  26
RES:  21
ACC:  87
AGI:  11
MAG:  16
M.RES:  13
 
 
Kid


HP:  214
STR:  20
RES:  15
ACC:  91
AGI:  14
MAG:  14
M.RES:  14
 
 
Orcha

HP:  246
STR:  19
RES:  19
ACC:  87
AGI:  6
MAG:  13
M.RES:  12


Having Red as the designated magic was possible even at the beginning of the game.  Fireball could kill off the Blue random encounters while looking for Komodo Scales, and Capsules functioned as consumable healing.  No need for the Yellow innate Poshul this time!  She was already the star in the Low Tier Characters playthrough.


Some Chrono Cross players think random encounters are pointless, but they're a way to get permanent stat boosts, money, crafting materials, and occasionally spells.  Serge gained about 2 HP per battle until diminishing returns.


A Silver Loupe in a treasure chest boosted Serge's melee accuracy by +2, and a free Ivory Helmet was a +1 to defenses.


When the 3rd Komodo Pup perished, the first boss Mama Komodo appeared to avenge her children.  She was the true hero:  Serge was only there to make a necklace out of their scales for his annoying girlfriend Leena!  Mama Komodo was a Blue innate like the rest of the monsters in Lizard Rock, so a Fireball +1 seared her for 45 damage.  The battle could have gone even faster if Serge hadn't wasted one Fireball from his Element grid on the final Komodo Pup! 


Then again, it wasn't necessary to cast more offensive spells.  Serge's mandatory White melee attacks dealt 3, 10, and 16 damage depending on their strength.  All Mama Komodo could do was a pathetic 6 damage melee attack.  One final fierce swipe with Serge's double-bladed weapon sent Mama Komodo crashing to the ground and won the 2nd Star Level.  Serge picked up his "secret savings" under the bed to gain more money before leaving his universe.



Serge warped to Another at Opassa Beach and discovered his alternate self was dead.  His only recourse was to visit "his" grave at Cape Howl, where Karsh, Solt, and Peppor of the Acacia Dragoons ambushed him.  Kid the first Red innate character charged in and threatened them with her characteristic Australian accent.


Karsh was Green innate, and his incompetent companions were Yellow.  Solt was the first victim of Serge's 4, 11, 17 melee attacks.  Fireballs +2 from Kid and Serge charred Solt for 27 and 31 damage respectively.  This proved a higher MAG stat was superior to the same-color bonus in Chrono Cross.  Both Serge and Kid defended to regain Stamina, and then Serge slashed Peppor for 4, 12, 20.  A +1 Fireball turned the whole Field Effect Red, which would have mattered more if anyone had a summon spell.  The last to fall was Karsh, who took 21 from Kid's MagmaBomb and 4, 12 from Serge's flailing.  (Yes, MagmaBomb is a multi-target spell and should have been used when Solt and Peppor were still conscious. . .)


Karsh was the most dangerous of the 3 bosses, and his DragonRider spell could harm Kid for up to 23 damage.  His melee sliced the team for a more modest 7.  To prevent Kid from dying, a Red Tablet healed her for. . .30.


Red is probably the most-offense oriented color, which is where the challenge comes in.  It has no generic combat healing except for weak Tablets. (Orcha can heal with his Techniques, but he's a late game character.)  Most Red spells deal fire damage, though the color does have the Strengthen buff and the Weaken debuff.  If a pure variant of this type is no longer viable, other consumables may be used, but only as a last resort.



Stats and Equipment
 
Serge

HP:  88
STR:  12
RES:  9
ACC:  85
AGI:  8
MAG:  7
M.RES:  7
 
Weapon:  Sea Swallow
Armor:  Ivory Mail
Accessory1:  Ivory Helmet
Accessory2:  Silver Loupe
 
 
Kid

HP:  62
STR:  7
RES:  5
ACC:  90
AGI:  10
MAG:  6
M.RES:  8
 
Weapon:  Ivory Dagger
Armor:  Ivory Mail

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge Part 2


Serge had nothing better to do in Another World where everyone thought he was dead, so Kid talked him into raiding Viper Manor.  But first they had to cross Fossil Valley to reach the north side of the island.  The only obstacles preventing the party from doing so were the comic relief bosses Solt and Peppor.


Serge's swallow strikes swiped Solt for 5, 11, 18.  Kid's dagger stabbed him for 2, 7, 12.  Solt was as incompetent as ever and cast TurnBlack to alter Serge's innate element instead of casting a Black attack like Gravitonne.  Peppor buffed his ATK with Strengthen, while Solt debuffed Serge with LoRes.  Kid's MagmaBomb erupted on both Solt and Peppor for 22, and a Fireball +2 from Serge pounded Solt for 38 and knocked him out of the battle.


Although he was a Yellow innate, Peppor's spells were Red for some reason, including his signature attack PepporBox.  It injured Kid for 22 and maxed out the Field Effect.  Serge tossed Kid a Tablet for safety, and Kid capitalized on the Red field to cast a 33 damage Fireball.  Peppor's melee scratched Serge for 11, and one final Fireball +2 from Kid earned another Star Level for the party.


The town of Termina offered the first blacksmith in the game.  Dismantling the Profiteer Purse from Van's house provided 3 Iron among other materials, which were used to forge the Steel Swallow and Iron Dagger for Serge and Kid.  Both weapons added +5 ATK and +2 HIT%.  Fighting random encounters earned the team enough money to forge an Iron Mail for Serge, giving him +5 DEF and +4 M.DEF.  The party probably wasn't supposed to have equipment this good before Viper Manor, but Red's lack of healing made it worth considering.


No Red innate guides to Viper Manor were available, so Magus Magil Guile was chosen.  Both Nikki and Pierre were Blue, the opposite element of the playthrough.  Besides, this way resembled Radical Dreamers.  (Haven't played that Satellaview game, though there is a reference to it in Chronopolis.)


Guile's path to Viper Manor involved climbing cliffs while Acacia Dragoons tossed boulders at the party.  At the top, two Yellow innate Acacia PVTs challenged the group.  Serge's slashes dealt 9, 22, 36, while Kid's dagger inflicted 6, 16, 27.  Guile only had enough time to cast 2 damage from his wand's weak attack.  Kid's Pilfer only took an Ivory Helmet from the enemies.  StormBlow beating Serge for 12 was the only notable enemy attack.  Even the game didn't take this Star Level fight seriously because the awful random encounter music was playing.


The Black innate KingMoaman and his subjects BlueMoaman and RedMoaman were far more threatening.  Serge's melee targeted RedMoaman first with 9, 22 damage.  Kid's hit for 5, 14, 22, and Guile's wand blasted them for 3, 7, 11-13.  Guile may have had bad ACC and a worse physical damage output, but at least the fierce attack hit all enemies.  BlueMoaman buffed KingMoaman's evasion with Nimble, while RedMoaman cast Strengthen on his liege.  When they attacked, they preferred IceSword and FlameSword, slashing Serge for 12-15 damage.  


MagmaBomb was useful in this fight because it hit all 3 bosses for 9-34, depending on the MAG stat and Field Effect.  One of them defeated RedMoaman.  A Fireball +2 with maxed out Red roasted BlueMoaman for 40 and killed that monster. 


One his companions were gone, KingMoaman casted Gravitonne, which crushed Guile for 43 and pressed Serge for 57.  For a point in the game where max HP was in the low triple digits at best, this could have caused a Death Count if the fight had gone on much longer.  Kid came through with a 32 fierce attack to KingMoaman, who retaliated with his own melee combo.  Kid Pilfered a piece of Copper, and a final MagmaBomb from Guile opened the entrance to Viper Manor.



Stats and Equipment
 

Serge

HP:  131
ATK:  27
DEF:  20
MGC:  11
HIT%:  90
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  13
STAMINA RECOVERY:  10
 
Weapon:  Steel Swallow
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Antitoxinal Cap
Accessory2:  Silver Loupe
 
 
Kid

HP:  85
ATK:  22
DEF:  12
MGC:  6
HIT%:  91
EVD%:  10
M.RES:  11
STAMINA RECOVERY:  12
 
Weapon:  Iron Dagger
Armor:  Ivory Mail
 
 
Guile


HP:  122
ATK:  17
DEF:  13
MGC:  10
HIT%:  84
EVD%:  10
M.DEF:  11
STAMINA RECOVERY:  8
 
Weapon:  Porcelain Rod
Armor:  Ivory Mail


Since Chrono Cross records both base stats and stats modified by equipment, it was best to only include the latter for simplicity's sake.  That's why Stats and Equipment looks different from the first update.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge Part 3


Viper Manor was a long dungeon with several boss battles, but Serge, Kid, and Guile were capable.  It became clear that the developers didn't intend for players to have Iron equipment this early by breaking the Profiteer Purse.  Viper Manor's treasure room only had Bronze items at best!


The first boss fight, reached by falling for the "pulling the shield off the trick door" trap, was against 2 Green innate Neo-N-Bulbs.  Luccia the German accented scientist's experiments brushed the party for 10-18 damage in melee, and once released a Bushwhacker spell for 20 at Serge.  It seemed odd for plant monsters to not be weak to fire magic in an RPG, but that was how Chrono Cross's elemental system worked.  MagmaBombs charred both for 16-31 damage, depending on Field Effect and whether Kid or Guile was the caster.  Serge's fierce melee attack hit for 41, Kid's version for 25, and Guile stuck with weak or medium attacks for 3-7.  Kid managed to Pilfer a Seed before the battle ended.



Man-at-Arms and the 4 Man-of-War henchmen weren't a boss fight, but Serge attacked them anyway for potential loot.  Since they were Black innate, Serge's fierce attack could hit them for as much as 67.  Guile's melee was surprisingly competent this time despite the elemental resistance, and hit all of them for 11-24.  Enemy sword slashes ranged from 7-8 from the Men-of-War, and 12 from the Man-at-Arms leader.  MagmaBombs melted their armor for 16-48 depending on spell level, Field Effect, and the user.  Serge had the honor of dealing the most damage, because Serge was the best at practically everything.  A BlackRain spell hurt the party for 30-37, and carried the risk of a Death Count.  


The loot from that battle wasn't worth it.  Pilfering got the team a HellSoul spell which was ineligible for the variant, and other prizes included elements of non-Red colors.


Potty the Yellow innate monster in the treasure room had an odd attack animation of summoning a genie to attack for 30 damage to Kid.  Stacking Field Effect bonuses paid off when a Fireball killed the mimic and won a TurnRed.  TurnRed could be useful if Serge needs Red melee in the future.


Marcy looked like a harmless little girl, but she was one of the 4 Devas of the Acacia Dragoons.  (According to a Legends of Localization article, the same word rendered as "4 Devas" in Chrono Cross is also used for the "Elite 4" in Pokemon.)


Kid could exploit Marcy's Blue innate status to deal 57 damage with a fierce melee.  Guile and Serge only seemed to hit with medium attacks for 11 and 40 respectively.  Marcy responded with a single 21 kick to Kid and a stronger combo to Guile.  The wizard who may have been Magus cast a MagmaBomb +1 for 52, Serge's Field Effect enhanced Fireball +2 smoked her for 106, though a maxed out Field Effect Fireball +2 only singed Marcy for 61 if it came from Kid.  She must have had a lousy MAG stat!    


By the end of the fight, Marcy cheated the Stamina gauge rules and cast 2 IceBlasts in a row.  Besides making Guile shiver from heavy damage, he was frozen with no way to cure him.  A Cat'sCradle tied up Serge for 30 damage, but was otherwise merciful in comparison.  Kid's fierce attack knocked out Marcy, ensuring that the party would keep the Dancing Shoes she Pilfered earlier.


Lynx, or rather his "shadow", was the final boss of this segment.  Serge's White innate melee declawed him for as much as 66 damage, and Kid's vengeance struck for 40.  Guile's fierce wand shots were resisted for 16.  Lynx's melee combos could beat up Serge for around 40 total.  Lynx had a tendency to cast Imbecile to debuff MAG, though this was a minor setback.  Even with the minus to MAG, Serge's Fireballs still hurt more than Kid's.  Kid was forced to retreat and restart the battle when Lynx cast HellBound on Serge and Guile, killing them instantly.


RUN AWAY FROM BOSS COUNT:  1


One nice feature of Chrono Cross is the ability to Run Away from bosses if the fight goes badly, so you can heal and try again without having to endure the same cutscenes again. 


The second attempt went similarly to the first, except HellBound only appeared once and missed Kid when cast.  Lynx's Gravitonne was more reliable if less deadly, and crunched Kid for 47.  A melee combo from Kid finished off the cat-man who burned her orphanage. . .or so she thought.  Kid was poisoned on the way to Guldove, putting her out of commission for much of the game.


It may have seemed counterintuitive to take the "don't save Kid" route in a Red challenge, but this was the only way to recruit Macha the Red innate character.  And Kid would come back later anyway if the team needed her.



Stats and Equipment
 
Serge


HP:  160
ATK:  31
DEF:  22
MGC:  14
HIT%:  90
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  14
 


Weapon:  Steel Swallow
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Antitoxinal Cap
Accessory2:  Silver Loupe
Accessory3:  Dragoon’s Honor


If you need an explanation of the game mechanics or anything about the playthrough, please post in the comments.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge Part 4


Revisiting Termina was profitable for the Red Team because both Macha and Greco were available there.  Both were physical characters, though their low ACC often made them whiff their combos.  This also prevented them from casting spells if needed.  Greco and Macha had low MAG, but Field Effect bonuses alone could justify using Elements occasionally.


Before boarding Fargo's ship, it was time to stop by Hermit's Hideaway and visit Another World's Radius.  Or rather, that was the story reason.  The point of this detour was to acquire the Moonglasses from the Harle battle.  Resetting to get that rare drop was exasperating, but not quite as much as finding the Double Beat Runes in the Suikoden 2 squirrel playthrough.  But the Moonglasses reduced all damage by 25%, vital for a playthrough without the luxury of decent healing spells.  Serge was the obvious candidate because all previous companions would sit on the bench for about half the game after the body swap with Lynx.


Fargo challenged the group with easily-defeated Men-of-War before sending out Polly the Red innate bird boss.  Serge's melee normally clipped its wings for 9, 24, 38, though a lucky critical slashed it for 76.  Macha and Greco's attacks were resisted, forcing their more modest melee down to about 5, 13, 21.  


Polly didn't attack often, but when the bird Flapped its wings, Serge and Greco were blown away for 59-66.  This had the side effect of maxing out Red on the battlefield, but even Greco's Clothesline and Macha's BottomsUp could only smack the bird for 34-35 damage.  BottomsUp did have a silly animation where the screen went into negative colors when Macha bashed them with her butt!  One last 3 hit combo from Macha's ladle sent Polly off to find a cracker.


Fargo the pirate captain was a Blue innate and therefore vulnerable to Macha and Greco's attacks.  But Fargo could pay in kind with a 33 strike to Greco and 2 hits of 21 to Macha.  Serge's swallow sword swiped for 10, 28, 43, Macha's whacked for 9, 25, and Greco punched for 9, 24.  BottomsUp ground pounded him for 60 and a Clothesline wrestled him for 70.  But with a maxed out Red Field Effect, Serge outdid everyone else with a 178 FirePillar +1!  Fargo didn't disrupt the Field Effect, but rather enhanced it early in the fight with a Strengthen buff.


Macha's melee seemed stronger with a Red Field Effect too, as her medium attack dealt 37.  Greco had the honor of subduing Fargo with a weak-medium melee combo.


The ghost ship version of the S.S. Invincible was tedious instead of difficult.  Many Black innate undead enemies stood in the party's way in their quest to ask all the NPCs if they had the key.  Once that was done, Greco was poisoned by a pirate's "vitamin drink".  Good thing Serge had some out-of-battle Antidotes left over from trading Elements for crafting materials!


DeadHead the Black innate monster was much less friendly to the Field Effect than previous bosses on the S.S. Invincible.  It cast Diminish to weaken Elements, Imbecile to reduce Greco's MAG, Death'sOdor to Curse everyone and make them lose Stamina from being hit, and dealt a direct 38 damage to Greco with DarkBreath.  Weak MagmaBombs were unleashed to try to keep the Field Effect from going Black.  DeadHead was also a competent physical attacker and once dealt 61 damage to Macha with a fierce attack at the end of a 3 hit combo.


Serge's White melee tore into the boss for 15, 39, 61, and Macha and Greco's tended to deal about 6-9 and 18-23.  Greco was the Least Valuable Player here because even his weak attack would miss 3 or more times in a row.     Serge's medium attack turned the undead away from the S.S. Invincible and gained the 11th Star Level.




Stats and Equipment Star Level 11


Serge
HP:  206
ATK:  35
DEF:  24
MGC:  17
ACC:  90
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  15
 
Weapon:  Steel Swallow
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Moonglasses
Accessory2:  Silver Loupe
Accessory3:  Dragoon’s Honor
 

Macha
HP:  193
ATK:  28
DEF:  25
MGC:  12
HIT%:  87
EVD%:  7
M.DEF:  17
 
Weapon:  Ladle Fe26
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Power Glove
Accessory2:  Magic Ring
Accessory3:  Bronze Helmet
 
 
Greco
HP:  180
ATK:  31
DEF:  25
MGC:  6
HIT%:  87
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  15
 
Weapon:  Iron Glove
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Dancing Shoes
Accessory2:  Ivory Helmet
Accessory3:  Silver Pendant


Macha doesn't have much luck with gaining STR for better ATK, so she'll probably go on the bench once later characters are recruited.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge Part 5


Completing the S.S. Invincible sequence unlocked the Astral Amulet when Kid rejoined the party.  Macha was swapped out for Kid in case the party needed to Pilfer something.  And Kid had better ACC too.


A detour to Serge's hometown Arni Village got the team a Rainbow Shell after handing Another World's poet waitress the Book of Poems from her Home World equivalent.  This couldn't be crafted into anything yet, but it would save some time later.


Since the party didn't have their own boat in Home World, the only place they could visit other than Termina's island was Water Dragon Isle via a ferry.  The dwarves with the giant schnozzes were killing off the local fairies when they weren't dancing.  All were Yellow innate and were easy to kill with the usual melee attacks and Red fire spells.  The only enemy attacks to watch out for at this point were the Hi-HoChorus and Hi-HoWarCry, both Yellow spells in a Star Level battle with 1 Dwarf, 2 DaggyDwarves, and 2 DaffyDwarves.


The dwarves' Yellow innate Hi-Ho Tank, however, proved to be the first legitimately difficult boss fight in the game, not counting the unlucky HellBound instant deaths from Lynx in Viper Manor.


ElementShot was the main reason for this.  The Hi-Ho Tank selected a color, usually Black, and fired its cannon for up to 117 damage.  Good thing Serge had the Moonglasses 25% defensive buff, or he wouldn't have stood a chance!  Sometimes, luck would ensure that ElementShot picked a weaker version like Green that blasted for 69 damage.  Machine gun strafing from the Hi-Ho Tank buffeted everyone for 11-12 damage twice per use.  Ramming smashed Greco once for 37.


Two Dwarves accompanied the Hi-Ho Tank and threatened to heal it if Serge and friends didn't cut them down first.  This was easy to do.  As for the Hi-Ho Tank itself, Serge hit for 45 with a fierce attack, Kid gashed it for 21 with a medium attack, and Greco body slammed it for 38 with a fierce attack.


The first two attempts required retreat when it was clear the party was about to lose.  One try had Kid as the sole survivor at 5 HP.    


RUN AWAY FROM BOSS COUNT:  3


Serge barely managed to win after casting a FirePillar+1 when he was at 44 HP.  ElementShots had already slain Kid and Greco, so they lost out on Star Level 13.  It was a relief to see the animation of dwarves running out of the Hi-Ho Tank followed by the captain crashing to the ground!


This battle made me think that one of the "mercy rules" might be needed for later bosses because Red was such a weak color.  The only major thing this party could have done differently was to buy the Strengthen and Weaken spells from Marbule.  


Remember, there's no level grinding in Chrono Cross, so if you're stuck, you may have to bend your variant rules.  More versatile magic colors like White probably won't have to do this because of their healing spell selection.  


 
Stats and Equipment Star Level 13
 

Serge
HP:  236
ATK:  37
DEF:  26
MGC:  19
HIT%:  90
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  16
STAMINA RECOVERY:  10
 

Weapon:  Steel Swallow
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Moonglasses
Accessory2:  Silver Loupe
Accessory3:  Dragoon’s Honor
 

Kid
HP:  151
ATK:  30
DEF:  26
MGC:  10
HIT%:  91
EVD%:  10
M.DEF: 18
STAMINA RECOVERY:  12


Weapon:  Iron Dagger
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Antitoxinal Cap
Accessory2:  Magic Ring
Accessory3:  Power Glove
 

Greco
HP:  189
ATK:  32
DEF:  26
MGC:  6
HIT%:  87
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  15
STAMINA RECOVERY:  9
 

Weapon:  Iron Glove
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Dancing Shoes
Accessory2:  Ivory Helmet

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge Part 6


Another World's Mt. Pyre was worth an update in itself because it was a boss gauntlet.  First came Solt and Peppor to provide an Element trap tutorial.  Solt demonstrated this by stealing Peppor's BlackHole, rendering it useless for the rest of the battle.  Peppor reacted by smacking Solt with a combo totaling 70 damage. 


As usual, Solt and Peppor were a joke in combat and could only deal 9-13 damage with melee.  Fierce attacks from the party dealt damage in the 40s range, and a critical from Serge shaked Solt for over 100.  Kid Pilfered a Pendragon Sigil B that could alter character's innate element attack based on the last action used on them.  A MagmaBurst +1 from Serge with a full Red Field Effect tipped over Solt for 190, and earlier a weak attack felled Peppor.  Serge equipped the Sky Djinn Ring won from the battle to increase his MGC.


The FireDragon was easily the hardest of the 3 boss fights of Mt. Pyre.  The dragon may have been small, but FieryBreath could scorch Serge for up to 96, and killed Kid on one attempt.  Melee from FireDragon dealt 23.  An attempt at MagmaBurst+1 from Serge with a full Red Field Effect. . .healed the boss for around 120.


RUN AWAY FROM BOSS COUNT:  5


There were really only 2 attempts needed for FireDragon, but Run Away had to be used twice both to revive Kid and restore her HP to full before trying again.  Instead of the usual preparation time, FireDragon forced the party into the battle immediately after a black screen with some dialogue.


Serge's fierce attacks slashed for damage in the 40s, while Kid and Greco were lucky to reach the low 30s.  On the successful attempt, Greco tapped out early due to two FieryBreaths.  The first Burned him, debuffing his Defense.  The rest of the battle was based on Serge and Kid using melee combos and switching between each other to restore Stamina.


Karsh, Marcy, and Zoah of the Acacia Dragoons were the final obstacle in front of Fort Dragonia.  Marcy was the first victim because of her Blue innate status.  Serge hit her with a 29, 48 medium-fierce combo.  Karsh's Green special AxialAxe struck the team for 27-39.  Marcy's melee scored 31 against Greco.  With the power of Serge's MGC stat, a 283 damage MagmaBurst +1 melted Marcy. 


Karsh was the next target, and fierce attacks from everyone pounded him for 50s damage.  Zoah's Gyronimo interrupted the Field Effect buildup with a 37 blow to Kid and Yellow powers.  A 173 MagmaBurst fried Karsh shortly afterwards.  Not only was Serge a better fighter than his companions, but also a superior Red sorcerer even while being White innate.


Kid's highlight in the fight was to Pilfer a Stamina Ring from Zoah.  This Accessory would give +1 to STAMINA RECOVERY for a character, useful for Serge's high Stamina cost spellcasting.  Zoah had similar Defense to Karsh, as he took 50s from fierce attacks.  A Clothesline from Greco wrestled him for 77.  The best Zoah could do in return was to DragonRider into Kid for 33.  One last FirePillar +1 from Serge warmed up Zoah for 149 and won another Star Level.  Kid barely survived to gain its benefits with 12 HP, but Serge and Greco were in good health.




Stats and Equipment Star Level 15
 
Serge

HP:  263
ATK:  36
DEF:  28
MGC:  22
HIT%:  87
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  16
STAMINA RECOVERY:  11
 

Weapon:  Steel Swallow
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Moonglasses
Accessory2:  Sky Djinn Ring
Accessory3:  Stamina Ring
 


Kid

HP:  163
ATK:  32
DEF:  29
MGC:  11
HIT%:  91
EVD%:  10
M.DEF:  18
STAMINA RECOVERY:  12
 


Weapon:  Iron Dagger
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Antitoxinal Cap
Accessory2:  Magic Ring
Accessory3:  Power Glove
 

Greco


HP:  199
ATK:  33
DEF:  26
MGC:  8
HIT%:  89
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  15
STAMINA RECOVERY:  9
 


Weapon:  Iron Glove
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Dancing Shoes
Accessory2:  Silver Loupe
Accessory3:  Silver Pendant

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge Part 7


Fort Dragonia was a long dungeon, but it was fitting for the climax of the first story arc.  Several of the rooms were puzzles without bosses.  Then came the Blue area with GiantGloop.  This slime's membrane blunted most physical attacks to 6-11 damage at best, including Greco's Clothesline special.



GooeyGoo was a breather turn for the party because all it could do was to debuff EVD%, a weak stat in Chrono Cross.  TakeIn swallowed Greco and spat him out for 100 damage, and Icebergs gave the entire team 94-184 frostbite.  You can see why this had to occur:


RUN AWAY FROM BOSS COUNT:  6


Take 2 went all-out with Red fire spells.  FirePillars and MagmaBursts boiled GiantGloop from anywhere to 87 to 331, depending on the caster and Field Effect strength.  When the battle was won, Greco was dead, Kid had 24 HP, and Serge was comparatively healthy with 193 HP.


Taurusoid was the guardian of the Green room.  Unlike GiantGloop, this boss's gimmick didn't force the party to use magic to damage it.  Instead, it relied on Green attacks with names like BodyPress, ChokeSlam, and BackDrop that dealt damage in the high 60s to low 100s.  Taurusoid proved to be the better wrestler than Greco.  Greco thought he could live when he consumed a Tablet to restore 30 HP, but Taurusoid broke the "Elements use an entire Stamina bar" rule and knocked him out with 2 Green specials in a row.


Melee attacks from the party smacked Taurusoid for up to the mid 30s with a fierce attack, and mid 50s when Serge was buffed by a Strengthen +1.  It seemed that spell was a 50% ATK boost.  Red Elements were as effective here as in other boss fights.  Kid's level 5 Technique RedPin threw knives for 154, and Serge's MagmaBurst erupted for 210.  Taurusoid used Green Elements too often to maintain a fully Red Field Effect, but it didn't matter in the end.




SunOfAGun the White innate Chrono Trigger reference was much easier than you might expect for a handicapped team.  Sure, its DEF was so high Serge could only hit for 18 with a fierce strike. . .with Strengthen.  And it was another boss that cheated the Stamina system by being able to cast multiple White Elements consecutively.  


SunOfAGun is normally a threat to Chrono Cross players when it randomly changes to its Angry face and casts MeteorShower with a strong White Field Effect.  This never happened in the Red challenge for some reason.  SunOfAGun preferred to stay in Frown mode much of the time, and therefore modify M.DEF stats with StrongMinded and WeakMinded.  In Happy mode, it occasionally put Serge and Kid to Sleep with KissyWissy.


The decisive moment in the battle was Serge's 96 damage MagmaBurst when he finally woke up.  This put the boss at critical HP.  Kid's 58 RedPin daggers and 32 critical fierce strike earned her place on the team.  Greco was only good for building the other characters' Stamina with his wimpy combos.


Bunyip at the top of Fort Dragonia is a special case for this playthrough.  The normal RUN AWAY FROM BOSS COUNT does not apply here, because that's for honest attempts at the boss.  Otherwise it would be too high to keep track of!


Anyway, Bunyip started as a Red innate enemy whose AI routine reliably included Volcano and Inferno spells.  These rare high level Elements were restricted to Red innate characters, so Serge could never cast them.  Volcano and Inferno also couldn't be bought, so it was best to set a Trap to steal them, then Run Away to grind for more.  Element Traps were one Chrono Cross feature I never exploited much in previous playthroughs, so it was good to have some novelty here.


EDIT:  Anyone can cast Inferno.  The stronger Volcano is Red innate only.  This allows Serge's offensive Elements to be relevant later in the game.


The party bought some more Volcano and Inferno Traps back in Marbule in case they ran into any dangerous Red bosses in the future, then returned and fought Bunyip for real.  Fierce attacks ranged from 38-58, but Serge and friends didn't cast spells other than Traps to block Volcano and Inferno. 


This tactic paid off when Bunyip changed into its Black phase.  With a full Red Field Effect, Kid's RedPin sliced for 150, Serge's MagmaBurst +1 seared for 257, and a later FirePillar +1 from Kid singed for 105.  Greco's Clothesline with every advantage only grazed Bunyip for 58.  Greco never failed to disappoint me, and will sit on the bench after Serge re-enacts Vice Versa with Lynx! 


After that round of Red Elements, Bunyip struck back with a 51 Gravitonne to Serge and sent Greco FreeFalling to the ground for 159 (!).  Serge taking so little damage from his elemental weakness meant the time spent acquiring the Moonglasses had not gone to waste.  Bunyip's melee missed Serge, who retaliated with a 67 fierce slash.  A final 181 damage MagmaBurst and a melee combo from Kid made Bunyip's cyclops eye roll.  Greco held on with 17 HP and FINALLY acquired his level 5 Technique Flip-flop after missing out on several Star Levels.


  

Stats and Equipment Star Level 19
 


Serge

HP:  311
ATK:  40
DEF:  32
MGC:  25
HIT%:  89
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  19
STAMINA RECOVERY:  11
 

Weapon:  Steel Swallow
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Moonglasses
Accessory2:  Stamina Ring
Accessory3:  Dragoon’s Honor
 

Kid

HP:  196
ATK:  35
DEF:  35
MGC:  13
HIT%:  91
EVD%:  10
M.DEF:  20
STAMINA RECOVERY:  12
 

Weapon:  Iron Dagger
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Antitoxinal Cap
Accessory2:  Magic Ring
Accessory3:  Power Glove
 

Greco

HP:  218
ATK:  36
DEF:  29
MGC:  11
HIT%:  89
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  17
STAMINA RECOVERY:  9
 

Weapon:  Iron Glove
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Dancing Shoes
Accessory2:  Silver Loupe
Accessory3:  Silver Pendant

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge Part 8


General Viper, the leader of the Acacia Dragoons, awaited at the top of Another World's Fort Dragonia.  He was a Yellow innate swordsman who could slash for combos of 16-23 damage per hit that some earlier bosses could not achieve.  He had some respectable Techniques too.  G-Force slammed Greco for 70, and AirForce sliced the whole party in the 30s to 40s range.  


Kid made sure to pilfer Viper's Stamina Ring before the end of the battle.  Adding +1 to STAMINA RECOVERY would make casting Elements more efficient for anyone who equipped it.  Meleee attacks tended to strike Viper in the 20s to 30s, but Serge always seemed to whiff his fierce.  Viper couldn't dodge spells like a 208 MagmaBurst +2 from Serge, a Volcano eruption from Kid for 174, or her finisher FirePillar for 69.


Lynx challenged the party to a proper battle after he betrayed and killed Viper, instead of sending his shadow.  He unleashed a 58 damage fierce early in the fight, and GlideHooked into the vengeful Kid for 74.  To prevent the Field Effect from turning entirely Black, Serge cast a MagmaBurst +2 for 169.  Clothesline dealt 57 because Greco was useless as usual.  Except for taking a 153 damage 3 hit combo instead of Serge or Kid.     


Lynx slew the luchador with a 93 damage MagmaBurst, since the avatar of FATE could also use the party's Elements.  A MagmaBurst +1 for 195 damage put Lynx at critical HP, and a lesser MagmaBurst "defeated" Lynx once the field was entirely Red.  After this false victory, Lynx stole Serge's body and forced him to fight his former party.  This was exempt from the variant because it was a cutscene, so "Lynx" tried to at least take out Greco with the all-target FeralCats after a melee combo.  Although the Black level 5 Technique dealt 223-328 HP to everyone, Greco still wrestled "Lynx" to the ground.  Typical Greco.  He was only competent when he was unintentionally harming the player's cause.


AFTER THIS LINE, READ "PLAYER CHARACTER" WHEN YOU SEE "LYNX" MENTIONED.


Lynx returned to Home World Arni Village, only for everyone there to be racist toward him because he was a demi-human.  Radius the Green innate tutorial guy challenged Lynx and his new teammates Sprigg the Green innate shapeshifter and Harle the Black innate jester.  Harle was equipped with Red spells to conform to the variant, and Sprigg transformed into the Red innate monster CatBurglar. 


Fierce attacks struck the old Acacia Dragoon in the 40s, and Radius retaliated with similar damage melee output.  CatBurglar was unfortunately one of Sprigg's weaker forms and fell during the battle after a 96 single target LongShot and an area of effect Inferno.  CatBurglar's TripleFist technique only reached 40 damage.  Harle took 87 from a PhotonBeam and was forced to use more Stamina for attacks after suffering from Fatigue status.  The Inferno that killed Sprigg also Burned Lynx's fur and reduced his DEF.   


Harle's Inferno +1 spell scorched Radius's scalp for 155, a FirePillar sizzled for 122, and a medium attack from Lynx allowed Radius to realize he wasn't the real Lynx.  This conversation guided the party to Home World Termina.


Termina was oppressed by the Porre Empire, though this was useful to the party because Lynx worked with them years ago and lead Porre soldiers to the El Nido islands.  (Don't ask why the town of Porre conquered the world between Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross.  It doesn't make sense even if you play both games.)


Norris the Yellow innate Porre commander had a boat, but he was in the basement of Home World Viper Manor's ruins.  While still in Termina, Lynx recruited Zappa the Red innate blacksmith once his forge went out of business and added him to the active party.  He also gave up the Smith Spirit, allowing weapon forging on the world map.  This unlocked Mythril equipment, so Lynx crafted a Silver Swallow.  Getting all 3 Mythril Mails required other components which the group didn't have at the time.


Once Radius talked to Norris and got the party clearance to use the boat in Termina, Lynx and company took a detour to Home World Fort Dragonia.  There were no bosses here this time, though there was Denadorite for future equipment crafting.  More importantly, the elevator descended to a basement where the Big Egg from Another World's Fossil Valley could be hatched in an incubator.  Draggy was born, but the rest of his family had disappeared, and he wanted Lynx to find them.  Ordering newborn monsters to fight would also become a staple in the Pokemon and Dragon Quest Monsters series.


Draggy's main advantage over other Red characters, beside his availability during the Lynx portion of the game, was having 13 innate STAMINA RECOVERY.  Regenerating 1.3 Stamina per weak attack and 3.9 per fierce would allow him to be a viable mage.



 
Stats and Equipment Star Level 22
 

Lynx

HP:  358
ATK:  46
DEF:  36
MGC:  23
HIT%:  89
EVD%:  8
M.DEF:  25
STAMINA RECOVERY:  11
 
Weapon:  Silver Swallow
Armor:  Mythril Mail
Accessory1:  Dragoon’s Honor
Accessory2:  Stamina Ring
Accessory3:  Moonglasses
 

Zappa

HP:  250
ATK:  42
DEF:  31
MGC:  12
HIT%:  87
EVD%:  3
M.DEF:  15
STAMINA RECOVERY:  9
 

Weapon:  Great Hammer
Armor:  Iron Mail
Accessory1:  Silver Loupe
Accessory2:  Antitoxinal Cap
Accessory3:  Stamina Ring
 

Draggy

HP:  241
ATK:  35
DEF:  38
MGC:  16
HIT%:  87
EVD%:  2
M.DEF:  24
STAMINA RECOVERY:  13
 

Weapon:  Iron Glove
Armor:  Mythril Mail
Accessory1:  Sky Djinn Ring
Accessory2:  Mythril Helmet
Accessory3:  Flame Charm

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge Part 9


One boss became an unexpected obstacle for this Red variant:  MegaStarky.  The fight with this inflated space alien joke character followed a predetermined AI routine, according to Shotgunnova's FAQ:


Raydiation
2 Melee Attacks
Raydiation
2 Melee Attacks
Meteorite
2 Melee Attacks
MeteorShower
RecoverAll or StrongMinded
2 Melee Attacks
UltraNova
PhotonBeam?
PhotonBeam?


Raydiation only dealt minor White damage to everyone, and Meteorite hit a single target lightly.  But a melee combo could zap one hero for 52-72, and MeteorShower rained on the party for 50-76.  What made the fight impossible for the party at this point was UltraNova.  Red had no healing or defensive spells to stop the ultimate White spell.  Not even 252 criticals from Lynx powered up with Strengthen and the Ninety-Nine accuracy buff could save this challenge.  Draggy came close to winning one attempt by barely surviving an UltraNova, but choked at the last second by whiffing attacks.


The guide on GameFAQs may have been wrong about the post-UltraNova moves in the AI routine.  MegaStarky used Raydiation and then a physical combo to finish off Draggy on Take 3.


EDIT:  MegaStarky used a Panacea in one attempt for some reason.  Possibly to cure a Burn caused by a Red spell?



DEATH COUNT:  3


If Chrono Cross were like other RPGs, Lynx and friends could grind levels.  And technically they wouldn't need to beat MegaStarky until later.  But if the party had trouble with this boss, how could they hope to beat Garai or Miguel?  The only realistic option was to perhaps get Sprigg a new Red monster transformation from Home World Mt. Pyre.


The next update may be the last for the Red challenge.  If it ends, I'll write a "postmortem" update about failed variants and how the Chrono Cross Element colors compare.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Chrono Cross Red Challenge FAILURE


There was once some hope for the Red variant when Sprigg defeated a Taurminator in Home World's Mt. Pyre with a melee attack to gain its Doppelgang powers.  This version of the volcano wasn't supposed to be visited until later, so Taurminator had fierce attacks stronger than Lynx's with an automatic 99 HIT%.


MegaStarky must have known about Taurminator's capabilities, because he targeted Sprigg often in the final attempt at victory on Sky Dragon Isle and defeated her first.  Taurminator gored MegaStarky for 130-145 damage per fierce.  Ninety-Nine buffs from Draggy cast on Lynx ensured he would use fierce attacks for a few turns.  But even the extra melee power couldn't end the fight before UltraNova slew Draggy.  Draggy's last attack was a CoughMix Technique. 


Trying to be clever and casting TurnRed on Lynx before MegaStarky's best Element didn't override his Black weakness to White.  (Turn[Color] spells apparently treat characters as having 2 innate colors instead of replacing the Element.)  A desperate melee combo and Inferno from Lynx failed to defeat MegaStarky before shots from his ray gun terminated the cat.


DEATH COUNT:  4


The only place left was the S.S. Zelbess in Home World, where Fargo had become a crooked cruise ship manager instead of Another World's pirate captain.  With the step-by-step guide from Shotgunnova, running around and talking to everyone to activate the next boss fight was much less annoying than in previous playthroughs.



 
The Sage of Marbule, the next White innate boss, was forced to work as a janitor when Fargo rounded up and enslaved all the demi-humans from his town.  He therefore attacked the party with his mop, which could deal a surprising damage range in the 30s to 40s, including a 3 hit combo to Sprigg as Taurminator.  Lynx's fierce slashed the Sage for up to 102, with the help of Draggy's Ninety-Nine accuracy buff.  Criticals from Lynx and Taurminator could pound the Sage for up to 213, and a combo from the cat gained another Star Level and the Fiddler Crab.


Fiddler Crabs were the key to opening the Dead Sea for some reason, but the party couldn't go any further without getting the Einlanzer to stop the cursed Masamune.  (Don't ask why the Masamune is evil in Chrono Cross.  It doesn't make any more sense than the rest of the plot).  This meant going to the Isle of the Damned and defeating the ghost of Garai the greatest Acacia Dragoon.


Garai the White innate swordsman lived up to his reputation.  His regular combos could gash Lynx for up to 2 hits of 40.  Far more fearsome were his Techniques like the 150s damage TripleCut and the appropriately-named WillBreaker for up to 261.  The same battle tactics used against the Sage of Marbule were attempted here:  buff Lynx with Ninety-Nine and have Sprigg become Taurminator.  Late in the fight, Draggy tried a Volcano -2 for 160, and some false hope was available when 2 hits of a 3 hit enemy combo missed the reptile.  But Garai won the "damage race" with a final WillBreaker, which also broke the variant.


DEATH COUNT:  5


Not all variants I post are successful.  Fire Emblem:  The Sacred Stones solo Seth didn't have high enough stats to beat Formotiis and his monster companions.  The Boiling Lizard in Etrian Odyssey Nexus outdamaged the solo Hero's passive healing.  And also made the game crash in an attempt to resurrect the playthrough some time ago. Four level 99 Monks with maxed Job Levels in Bravely Default had no answer to Airy's final form's high HP and 9999 damage Zeta Flares.  (That disaster happened before I joined Realms Beyond.)


Red must be the worst Chrono Cross color other than perhaps Yellow.  Red's only "healing" is the 30 HP consumable Tablet.  At least Yellow gets 100 HP Capsules, even if its characters have inferior stats!  Red's buffs like Strengthen and Ninety-Nine benefit melee, but Weaken does nothing against spells.  So all Red can do is try to beat down bosses with fire spells and close combat combos before its time runs out.  This doesn't work.  Chrono Cross has a reputation for being easy in normal playthroughs, but some enemies have frightening damage output as recorded in these posts.


If you want to try a challenge like this with a viable color, maybe White, Black, Blue, or Green could function.  White in particular because of being able to use Serge's Techniques, healing spells, MagNegate anti-Element protection, Reviving dead characters, and the overpowered Saints summon.  Black takes advantage of Lynx, Harle, and later Grobyc's abilities, and comes with 200 HP Nostrum consumables and the Diminish spell to protect against magic.  Blue and Green also have healing spells, but seem to have weaker characters than Black and White.  (Sprigg can turn into the mighty Lagoonate as soon as she joins in a Blue challenge, however.)


Hopefully this failed variant entertains the Realms Beyond readers.  Playthroughs like these test the limits of the game.  Chrono Cross is restrictive in terms of character growth, since spells, Techniques, and equipment are only available after specific parts of the game.  Combine this with the lack of traditional leveling, and sometimes there's no way to proceed if the variant is harsh enough.