So if Parsimony halves MP cost.....?????

[Shosasosa]

Why do i need the FULL amount of mp to start casting, the game use to adjust the TP cost of weapons skills to use all u had so why cant it adjust the MP cost of spells when parsimony is active?

[Mychael]

I've always wondered this. Penury in XI didn't even work like this, so it's not like it's a technical limitation--I have to assume it's working as intended, but I really hope not.

[Eldaena]

Basically, you get a return from using parsimony. Say a spell costs 500 MP, you need 500 MP to cast it (even though it costs half of that) and in return you get (random number of) MP back. This is significant from a standpoint that if you had less than 500 MP you wouldn't be able to cast it. Why is it this way? I'm going to say because there isn't much you can do with 250 MP normally, let alone cast a spell as powerful as one that would cost 500 MP. Perhaps if you think of it as a roleplaying aspect, you need to have enough MP reserved to cast something powerful enough to get some magic points in return.

Parsimony

Noun:
Extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources.

Synonyms:
miserliness - thrift - stinginess - frugality - avarice

So, perhaps you have to have MP to make MP? lol

Edit: It is also factors such as when the spell can be interrupted if you suddenly lose enough mp that it will not allow you to cast the spell (like Tailturner in the Moogle fight), or if there is some kind of effect in the future such as: "you cannot gain MP" or "the MP you gain is increased for a duration."

[Mychael]

. . .

In addition to returning MP, Parsimony reduces the spell cost. Quoting the game description, "Reduces MP cost of next attack spell by half, and restores MP when spell is cast." That would lead me to believe that my spell costs half the required MP regardless of how much it restores. Which still makes us wonder why you need the full MP amount when the cost is reduced. If a store has a 50% off sale, do you expect them to charge you the full amount then refund the money--all at the same time of course, but such that you have to have the full amount?

[Eldaena]

In addition to returning MP, Parsimony reduces the spell cost. Quoting the game description, "Reduces MP cost of next attack spell by half, and restores MP when spell is cast." That would lead me to believe that my spell costs half the required MP regardless of how much it restores. Which still makes us wonder why you need the full MP amount when the cost is reduced. If a store has a 50% off sale, do you expect them to charge you the full amount then refund the money--all at the same time of course, but such that you have to have the full amount?

Perhaps I haven't looked at it correctly, since I mostly play conjurer, but I thought that the reduced cost was how much you cast it for minus the MP that was returned to you.

Edit: I see it's half the MP of the original cost + you get MP returned to you based off of other factors.

[Mychael]

[Eldaena]

546 for thundaga and you get a return of 273. (Since that's all I spent on the spell.) Basically, you only spend 273 MP on thundaga, but you need the full 546 MP to cast it is all. And I came up with some suggestions above as to why that is the way it is.

[ApplePie]

The MP return is more than half of what you spend to cast it. It is scaled on how much damage you deal. It does both cut the spell in half on cost and give you MP back.

[Mychael]

I understand, but they way the description reads, I would think the "spell cost" should be affected like Penury in XI, allowing me to throw out that last 500mp spell to finish a mob when I have 250mp, rather than have 300mp left over when it dies.

[Eldaena]

The MP return is more than half of what you spend to cast it. It is scaled on how much damage you deal. It does both cut the spell in half on cost and give you MP back.

You will spend 273 MP on thundaga, but you will gain 273 MP back. That's half of the spell's original cost. I tested it multiple times and the return MP amount didn't change. Basically, my MP pool didn't fluctuate at all.

Edit: Discovered because I only used 273 MP, that's all I could gain back. Thanks for clearing this up. ^-^