Puppetmaster

Job Overview

Available after completing the No Strings Attached quest, these wandering performers entertain crowds and confound their enemies with a customizable puppet known as an "automaton." Puppetmasters can also fall back on hand-to-hand fighting skills that utilize the flexible movements of their art.

Table of Contents: Abilities, Combat Skill Ratings, Information Upgrading Your Automaton, Artifact Equipment, Puppetmaster Guides, History

Abilities

Job Abilities Level Ability 01 Overdrive 01 Activate 15 Repair

Job Traits Level Trait 10 Resist Slow 20 Evasion Bonus 25 Martial Arts

Pet Commands Level Command 01 Deploy 01 Deactivate 10 Retrieve 01 Fire Maneuver 01 Ice Maneuver 01 Wind Maneuver 01 Earth Maneuver 01 Thunder Maneuver 01 Water Maneuver 01 Light Maneuver 01 Dark Maneuver

Combat Skill Ratings Skill Skill Ranking Cap at Level 1 Cap at Level 37 Cap at Level 75 Hand-to-Hand C 5 105 225 Dagger C- 5 105 220 Club D 4 101 210 Throwing C? 5 105 Guard B? 5 109 Evasion B? 5 109 Parrying D 4 101 210

Information You will need to get some Automaton Attachments for your Automaton and equip them to your own playing style. NOTE 1: Each time you level up Puppetmaster, ensure you Deactivate and Activate your Automaton so its new level stats will take effect. NOTE 2: You may cast up to three (3) elemental maneuvers. Be careful using elemental maneuvers, or you may Overload your Automaton You must have Automaton Attachments equipped for your Automaton to receive any effects.

Upgrading Your Automaton

After you reach level 10, 20 and 30 you can get a new Automaton frame. Talk to Ghatsad (I-7) as a Puppetmaster in Aht Urghan Whitegate. He will give you three options to choose from. After trading the items & payment, return after JST midnight to receive your new Automaton Head and Frame.

Costs

• Level 10: 3x Imperial Silver Pieces
• Level 20: 3x Imperial Mythril Pieces
• Level 30: 1x Imperial Gold Piece

Melee - Valoredge X-900 Enhances proficiency in Close Combat. Items Needed 1x Brass Sheet 1x Wamoura Cocoon 1x Imperial Cermet 1x Tigerfangs Head Stats (At level 10) Stat Modifier Fire 0/2 Ice 0/0 Wind 0/1 Earth 0/2 Lightning 0/1 Water 0/0 Light 0/1 Dark 0/0 Frame Stats (At level 10) Stat Modifier HP +48 MP 0 Melee Skill +1 Ranged -30 Magic -30 STR +1 DEX -1 VIT +3 AGI -2 INT -2 MND +1 CHR -1 Fire 0/3 Ice 0/1 Wind 0/2 Earth 0/3 Lightning 0/2 Water 0/2 Light 0/2 Dark 0/1

Ranged - Sharpshot Z-500 Specializes in long-range attacks. Items Needed 1x Rosewood Lumber 1x Karakul Cloth 1x Karakul Leather 1x Repeating Crossbow Head Stats (At level 10) Stat Modifier Fire 0/2 Ice 0/1 Wind 0/2 Earth 0/0 Lightning 0/1 Water 0/1 Light 0/1 Dark 0/0 Frame Stats (At level 10) Stat Modifier HP MP Melee Skill Ranged Magic STR DEX VIT AGI INT MND CHR Fire 0/2 Ice 0/1 Wind 0/3 Earth 0/2 Lightning 0/3 Water 0/2 Light 0/2 Dark 0/1

Mage - Stormwaker Y-700 Enables its user to command magic spells. Items Needed 1x Gold Thread 1x Velvet Cloth 1x Wamoura Cloth 1x Brass Ring Head Stats (At level 10) Stat Modifier Fire 0/0 Ice 0/2 Wind 0/1 Earth 0/1 Lightning 0/0 Water 0/2 Light 0/0 Dark 0/1 Frame Stats (At level 10) Stat Modifier HP -62 MP +100 Melee Skill -4 Ranged -30 Magic +1 STR -3 DEX -2 VIT -1 AGI 0 INT +2 MND +3 CHR 0 Fire 0/1 Ice 0/3 Wind 0/1 Earth 0/2 Lightning 0/2 Water 0/2 Light 0/2 Dark 0/3

Artifact Equipment

Artifact Set Level Artifact 41 52 54 56 58 60

Relic Set Level Relic 71 72 73 74 75 75 75

History

Traditional Peformances & Cutting-Edge Craftsmanship

Wireless Animator & a Pair of Sainti

• Come one, come all!
• See the amazing walking, talking, sleeping, fighting Muffin the Automaton tell the tale of the "Happy Red Spring"!
• Will Muffin ever find the face she was truly meant to wear? - From the introduction to "The Seven Faces of Muffin"

For years, puppeteers have been entertaining crowds with their skillful manipulation of artfully crafted marionettes. But with the recent development of the "automaton," a semi-automated puppet without the need for strings, the uses for a puppeteer's talents suddenly expanded to the fields of agriculture, fishing, industry, and even combat. In any era, there is always a need for specialists to master new types of technology. And the puppetmaster has stepped forward--a special breed of puppeteers that customize their automatons with ingenious attachments and use a controller known as an "animator" to transmit commands. Puppetmasters also sometimes find it necessary to protect themselves from advocates of simpler times, and are rarely seen without a pair of sainti--their hand-to-hand weapon of choice. Let us take a closer look at this fascinating profession...

The Birth of Mnejing

Early Puppetmasters

What a ridiculous question.
Whether it be this automaton,
or a marionette from years past,
I pour the same amount of heart into every piece.
All puppetmakers breathe a soul into their work.
- Ghatsad the Puppetmaker, in response to the query "Do automatons have a soul?"

Automatons were developed by a group of craftsmen led by Ghatsad, a Galkan puppetmaker. Ghatsad has never explained what he hoped to achieve with the creation of automatons, but rumors say that the gigantic automaton-like being that appears in Aht Urhgan's founding myth is the ultimate goal of his work. As if to underscore the truth of the rumors, it seems that Ghatsad was provided with a substantial research fund from the Imperial Treasury under the pretense of encouraging private enterprise. With a massive amount of capital at his disposal, Ghatsad set about putting together a research team from the finest alchemists the Empire had to offer, not to mention expert blacksmiths, goldsmiths, bonecrafters, and clockmakers from every corner of the world. After ten years of painstaking work, they finally completed the very first automaton--Mnejing. However, when a triumphant Ghatsad entered the palace with his newly created automaton, he did not receive the warm reception he expected. The Emperor and his court entertained visions of the giant creation of legend, and when they beheld the shaky gait of Mnejing and the command cord trailing behind her, they assaulted Ghatsad with gales of derisive laughter. Only one face among the hecklers lit up at the sight of the tottering automaton--Crown Prince Jalzahn. The prince not only convinced his father to allow him to keep Mnejing, but also to employ Ghatsad as his personal tutor. Even while Ghatsad's creations were quietly ridiculed as the "prince's toys," the puppetmaker continued his research within the palace up until the day the Emperor died, many years later.

The Appearance of Puppetmasters

A puppetmaster and his automaton performing for a crowd.

My master has gifted me with the power of dreams.
I bestow these dreams on those around me.
Take those dreams, and share them with someone you love.
Maybe one day, I'll have a dream of my own.
- "Erwin" the automaton. Serial No. 218.

Fifty years have passed since the creation of Mnejing, the first automaton. Automaton technology has progressed considerably since that time. Based on the idea of the xhifhut, an Antican translation instrument, a cordless controller known as an "animator" was developed.

Illustration by Mitsuhiro Arita

Now puppeteer and puppet could act freely without any strings to hamper their movement. Another advancement in the automaton field was the creation of custom parts called "attachments." These attachments freed puppeteers from the need to have alchemists or clockmakers present in order to improve the performance of their automatons, and opened up a profession that was previously restricted to court and military practitioners. And so people witnessed the emergence of a new type of specialist--the puppetmaster. The appearance of puppetmasters and the constant fine-tuning of their automaton companions has led to a boom in the evolution of puppetmaking.

Turning frowns into laughter, and the ability to bestow life and affection on a creation of wood and metal--these are the qualities you will need to excel in the profession of puppetmaster.