Could we learn blue magic second hand?

[KageTokage]

I think I'm content to embrace the "It just works" mentality for certain BLU skills.

[Kalise]

I mean, theoretically, it should work to learn Blue Magic second hand right?

Given that you look to replicate the aether patterns of the monsters using the abilities in order to perform Blue Magic, it would only make sense that if you fight against someone who successfully uses the ability then you're still should be able to analyse its aetherial pattern.

[SannaR]

Concerning the Allagans did make a ball that could make clones of a summoner that then could do summoner things I think what any and all ADS types is just child's play.

[WhiteArchmage]

The description for Bomb Toss ALSO explains that the Blue Mage is copying a mechanical invention using Aether, so imitating technology via magic is apparently something BLUs can do with enough practice. As for the second-hand Blue Magic learning...I don't see why not, I mean, mechanically from PvP: no, to prevent abuse; but lore-wise? Sure, there's precedent.

[Bright-Flower]

I think you could lore wise learn these things from other places. Even the primal abilities, as I understand it correct me if I'm wrong, basically has you learning regular abilities they have and not their big super signature abilities like diamond dust. So in terms of RP I think could claim to have learned such spells from other sources without having to say you fought the primals.

[ObsidianFire]

If there's one thing the Archanist and Summoner quests make very clear, the mentality behind math and technology works very well with aether. All Archanist, Summoner (and probably most Scholar) spells are people manipulating aether via mathematical and geometric formulas. Sometimes really, really, really complicated math and geometry to the point the Allagans used a supercomputer to do it. Throw that idea in with the fact that all matter is made of aether and that BLU copies enemies abilities and well... it's probably more accurate to say the BLU is copying and recreating the way aether is manipulated that is behind an attack. That would have very little to do with how the ather is being manipulated and everything to do with what the manipulated looks like.

You see similar overlaps with Garlean Radios and general lighting-aspected aether. Cid at one points jams the Garlean's short-range communications by magnifying the effect of the aether crystals in Mor Dhona which are lighting-aspected. It has the same effect of someone flooding radio signals with static.

[Bright-Flower]

Isn't the whole killling part an important start of the process? Except when learning via totems I guess which begs the question why not focus on making more of those I guess instead of sending people off to fight monsters.

[LineageRazor]

Isn't the whole killling part an important start of the process? Except when learning via totems I guess which begs the question why not focus on making more of those I guess instead of sending people off to fight monsters.

Give sciencebot's spoilered text, apparently the enemy does NOT need to be killed, as certain spells can be learned just by defeating a certain spoilery opponent, no killing involved.

That said, we might be making way too big a deal over that special csae, and can chalk it up to gameplay-and-story segregation.

[Wyssahtyn]

"'But how!?' I hear you cry. It's simple! You have to attune your mind to the instincts of the beast! When a creature is driven to attack, you can see into its soul. When you overcome it in battle, you absorb some of its aether and make its power your own!" - Martyn going over the mechanics of how Blue Mages learn their abilities.

Appears that you do need to kill the enemy in question to absorb its aether, similar to SMNs and primals, I suppose. I'd chalk up learning stuff from Azulmagia a result of gameplay personally.

[sciencebot]

"'But how!?' I hear you cry. It's simple! You have to attune your mind to the instincts of the beast! When a creature is driven to attack, you can see into its soul. When you overcome it in battle, you absorb some of its aether and make its power your own!" - Martyn going over the mechanics of how Blue Mages learn their abilities.

Appears that you do need to kill the enemy in question to absorb its aether, similar to SMNs and primals, I suppose. I'd chalk up learning stuff from Azulmagia a result of gameplay personally.

Hildibrand stuff isn't always the most easy to place in terms of canonicity, but Ultros and Typhon also have BLU spells you can learn, and they definitely don't die in that fight. You also can't really "kill" the robots for Drill Cannons and the like-- they're not alive in the first place, you're just breaking them (and presumably there's nothing stopping a talented mechanic from fixing them). I'd say that using the word "overcome" instead of outright saying "kill" makes it kind of ambiguous as to whether or not killing is strictly necessary; it might still qualify as overcoming your opponent if you hit them with a stick until they were unable to fight any further, for example. Could be way off, though!