What is Foul?

[waifugenerator]

Has Foul been explained in EE2 or elsewhere?

[Myvar]

From my own observation, Foul might be this game's version of the Unholy spell that has appeared in several other Final Fantasy games.

[manamoppet]

From my own observation, Foul might be this game's version of the Unholy spell that has appeared in several other Final Fantasy games.

Maybe, maybe not. Scylla in the Crystal Tower uses Unholy, but I don't remember if there are other bosses who use it.

[Ilyrian]

I think of 'Fair is foul and foul is fair' - the witches in Macbeth.

Probably absolutely nothing to do with the FF reference, as it's really just a fancy literary paradox, but it does have Black Magic and spell casting associations.

[Kalise]

Foul looks sort of like Level ? Shadowflare from FF Tactics.

Outside of that, I can't help but think that it might be the "Ancient Magick" of the Dark school of spells.

I.e.

Aero > Aerora > Aeroga > Aeroja > Tornado

Blizzard > Blizzara > Blizzaga > Blizzaja > Freeze

Dark > Darkra > Darkga > (Darkja >) Foul

Fire > Fira > Firaga > Firaja > Flare

Stone > Stonera > Stonega > Stoneja > Earthquake (Sometimes it appears as Quake > Quakra > Quaga)

Thunder > Thundara > Thundaga > Thundaja > Burst

Water > Watera > Waterga > Waterja > Flood

I don't recall we've seen anything beyond Darkga in any FF game, so it might be that FFXIV is establishing Foul as the ancient magic for the line. Maybe we'll also see a Darkja spell at some point (Well... It'd be Dark IV in the English localization for the game )

[MorbolvampireQueen6]

Foul looks sort of like Level ? Shadowflare from FF Tactics.

Outside of that, I can't help but think that it might be the "Ancient Magick" of the Dark school of spells.

I.e.

Aero > Aerora > Aeroga > Aeroja > Tornado

Blizzard > Blizzara > Blizzaga > Blizzaja > Freeze

Dark > Darkra > Darkga > (Darkja >) Foul

Fire > Fira > Firaga > Firaja > Flare

Stone > Stonera > Stonega > Stoneja > Earthquake (Sometimes it appears as Quake > Quakra > Quaga)

Thunder > Thundara > Thundaga > Thundaja > Burst

Water > Watera > Waterga > Waterja > Flood

I don't recall we've seen anything beyond Darkga in any FF game, so it might be that FFXIV is establishing Foul as the ancient magic for the line. Maybe we'll also see a Darkja spell at some point (Well... It'd be Dark IV in the English localization for the game )

i don't think we would get a dark upgrade without having lower level dark spells

[Eyvind]

Someone asked this on Reddit, and I tried to dive into the lore but came up with nothing. I did find that the kana used to spell it in the original Japanese is just the English word "foul" (ファウル or "fauru") which was no help at all.

Normally if a spell is the same in the original but has different names in English translations, you can figure that out that way, but the only spell I can find that uses that word in any FF game is Foul Waters ("fauru wota"), a blue mage spell that does water damage and helps resist silence in FFXI. In French, the term used for it is Infect, which suggests "unclean" or "diseased" or "toxic."

The person who asked the question on Reddit joked that the Black Mage was probably just swearing at someone, using the effect of foul language. I don't think they were serious, but since it operates under the effect of Polyglot (speaking many languages or literally "many tongues") that's honestly as good a theory as any.

My own guess is that's Bio/Virus, but they had used both names already for things in the game. Black Mages have always had access to poison, and at later levels they attacked with disease. In Final Fantasy III, IV, V, and VI it takes the form of giant bacteria or viruses attacking the target. I am thinking that since they'd used the name already, they came up with a new name for Black Mage's traditional "hit them with a poison/disease" attack.

[Frizze]

I don't recall we've seen anything beyond Darkga in any FF game, so it might be that FFXIV is establishing Foul as the ancient magic for the line. Maybe we'll also see a Darkja spell at some point (Well... It'd be Dark IV in the English localization for the game )

Im fairly sure that Zodiarc uses a Darkja spell when you fight him in FF 12. Dont think the players had access to the equivalent(outside of summoning said Zodiarc).

[ReiMakoto]

Foul looks sort of like Level ? Shadowflare from FF Tactics.

Outside of that, I can't help but think that it might be the "Ancient Magick" of the Dark school of spells.

I.e.

Aero > Aerora > Aeroga > Aeroja > Tornado

Blizzard > Blizzara > Blizzaga > Blizzaja > Freeze

Dark > Darkra > Darkga > (Darkja >) Foul

Fire > Fira > Firaga > Firaja > Flare

Stone > Stonera > Stonega > Stoneja > Earthquake (Sometimes it appears as Quake > Quakra > Quaga)

Thunder > Thundara > Thundaga > Thundaja > Burst

Water > Watera > Waterga > Waterja > Flood

I don't recall we've seen anything beyond Darkga in any FF game, so it might be that FFXIV is establishing Foul as the ancient magic for the line. Maybe we'll also see a Darkja spell at some point (Well... It'd be Dark IV in the English localization for the game )

Dark IV already exists in game (Can't remember what casts it but its on Garland Tools so its in game) so it could be the next step, but dark isn't a BLM spell in xiv, so I'm not sure it would be that. I think its makes most sense as an holy antithesis (both being exploding orbs of light/ dark respectively) and is a XIV exclusive concept.

[Jonnycbad]

Black Mage had the spell "Scourge" in FF1, which was an instant kill poison elemental spell. Maybe this is harkening back to this.