Final Fantasy V: Stealing

One of the first 6 jobs earned in Final Fantasy V is the thief job. I've always been drawn to thieves in games. Even when they're absolute garbage like in the original Final Fantasy or early D&D I still want to play a thief. Maybe I like being sneaky? Maybe I hate leaving treasure behind? (It could be in a locked chest I can't open or on a monster I can't steal from.) Maybe it's the one fantasy role I could actually see myself doing? I donno. For whatever reason, I made Faris into a thief and she hasn't changed yet.

I vaguely remembered from a previous playthrough that there was a good item that could be stolen in an early dungeon (the mountain where you save the dragon) but I didn't remember from who. So I stole from everyone in sight! It turned out to be a set of glasses off of a tombstone monster and wasn't actually that good. It's pretty much the worst item for the accessory slot but you can steal it before obtaining any other accessories so it is a strict upgrade if you bother farming up 4 of them. (I didn't, this time.)

It has me thinking though... You can clearly steal useful gear from monsters. Is there anything else I should be trying to steal? Is there anything I absolutely need to steal? (Final Fantasy III had the best dragoon weapon available only by stealing it, for example.) I decided to go through the list of all monsters and make note of any that drop particularly interesting stuff for future reference. Note that when you steal you have a 40% chance to get something and then have a 10 in 256 chance of stealing a rare item and a 246 in 256 chance of stealing the normal item. Note the glasses were a 'normal' item so it isn't necessarily bad. You can only steal one item per monster and can raise your success chance to 80% by equipping the thief gloves (which also give 4 defense and 2 agility so you want to equip them anyway).

Note I don't really know when these enemies appear so it's possible this stuff is actually obsolete by the time you can steal them?



Blocks - glasses
IceSoldier - mythril sword
Wyvern - mythril dagger
Mythril Dragon - (rare) mythril armor
Sorcerer - mage masher
Sorcerer - (rare) gaia gear
Page 32 - (rare) green beret
Page 256 - (rare) stealth robe
BioSoldier - battle axe
BioSoldier - (rare) war hammer
Crescent - silver bow
D Chimera - (rare) trident
Sand Bear - (rare) javelin
Ra Mage - bard's clothes
Lamia - (rare) lamia's tiara
Hydra - (rare) killer bow
Shield Dragon - mythril shield
Shield Dragon - (rare) gold shield
Drippy - mythril hammer
Drippy - (rare) bard's clothes
Sting Eagle - (rare) gale bow
Wall Knight - war hammer
Wall Knight - (rare) venom axe
Traveler - (rare) dream harp
Ziggurat - (rare) partisan
Wall Mage - (rare) wall ring
Dark Wizard - venom rod
Dark Wizard - (rare) staff of judgment
Motordrive - (rare) beastkiller
Red Dragon - (rare) flame ring
Yellow Dragon - thunder rod
Sekmet - (rare) thief's glovesBlandLamia - (rare) thornlet
Ziggurat (zephyr zone) - (rare) diamond armor
BioSoldier (zephys zone) - (rare) diamond helmet
Mukare - silk robe
Mukare - (rare) doom axe
Owazoral - (rare) mirage vest
Tote Avis - avis killer
Shadow Dancer - power ring
Shadow Dancer - (rare) dancing dagger
Slownin - katana
Slownin - (rare) ice shield
Flare - (rare) thunder whip
DuelKnight - (rare) flame shield
Berserker - (rare) elven bow
Druid - (rare) angel ring
Statue - (rare) double lance
Isteritos - (rare) staff of judgment
Unknown (spore, 2nd form) - (rare) beastkiller
Tonberi - plumed hat
Fall Guard - bandana
Alcumia - (rare) man eater
Grenade - (rare) flame shield
Bardandels - (rare) angel ring
Doom Dealer - (rare) magus hat
Land Crawl - ancient sword
Land Crawl - (rare) defender
Chamcubia - wall ring
Chamcubia - (rare) ribbon
Bella Donna - rainbow suit
Bella Donna - (rare) coral ring
Cherie - red shoes
Cherie - (rare) elf cape
MossFungus - (rare) air lancet
Sword Dancer - (rare) enhancer
Death Claw - (rare) thor's hammer
K Behemoth - (rare) drain sword
Farfarerro - (rare) lilith rod
Necromancer - (rare) bone mail
Ninja - (rare) forged sword
AvisDragon - trident
AvisDragon - (rare) artemis bow
GorChimera - (rare) aegis shield
Mind Mage - green beret
Mind Mage - (rare) guardian
Fury - wall ring
Fury - (rare) cursed ring
Thing - (rare) crystal shield
CrysDragon - (rare) dragoon spear
Achelone - (rare) flame sword
BodyGuard - (rare) tempest sword
Corvette - (rare) trident
Giant Bird - (rare) murasame
Sea Devil - (rare) defender
StingRay - (rare) rune edge
Belfegor - (rare) rising sun

'Bosses'
Commander - mythril sword
Crayclaw - coral sword
Chim Brain - (rare) wind spear
Titan - (rare) earth hammer
Abductor - (rare) gaia gear
Tyrasaurus - (rare) gold shield
Abductor - (rare) power ring
Gilgamesh (ship) - gengi gloves
Enkidou - green beret
Carbunkle (1st form) - wall ringCarbunkle (2nd form) - wall ring
Merugene - wall ring
Gilgamesh (xdeath castle) - (rare) gauntlet
Gilgamesh (morphed) - gengi helmet
Exdeath - (rare) staff of judgment
MachinHead - (rare) gauntlet
Odin - (rare) guard ring
Omniscient - (rare) corna jar
Minotauros - (rare) pinwheel
Gogo - (rare) gold hairpin
Calotisteri - plumet hat
Calotisteri - (rare) wall ring
Apanda - soot
Jura Avis - (rare) dragoon spear
Halicarnaso - light staff
Halicarnaso - (rare) aegis shield
Apocalypse - (rare) giant glove
Twin Tania (1st form) - (rare) flame shield
Twin Tania (2nd form) - giant's axe
Invisible - stealth robe
Invisible - (rare) dark hood
Sol Cannon - (rare) guard ring
Gilgamesh (x-zone) - genji shield
Shinryuu - (rare) dragon whip
Barrier - (rare) wall ring
Necrofobia - (rare) thief's gloves
Gilgamesh (necrophobia) - genji armor
Exdeath (final) - (rare) wonder rod
Neo X-Death (part 1) - (rare) dragoon spear
Neo X-Death (part 2) - pinwheel
Neo X-Death (part 3) - (rare) tempest sword
Neo X-Death (part 4) - (rare) ragnarok


What of this stuff is particularly important? Dragoon spear is the best spear in the game and can only be stolen. Dragon whip is the best whip in the game but stealing it from a challenge boss seems questionable. It's also a rare drop from a random encounter so maybe that's a better way to get it if you really want to use a whip. Staff of judgment can only be stolen but it doesn't seem very good.

There are only two gold hairpins in the game from chests so stealing a third one seems like it could be useful. (It knocks 50% off the cost of all spells.) Ribbon is awesome, but there are four in chests so you don't need to steal one. All the genji stuff can only be stolen from Gilgamesh and is awesome. If you want more than one thornlet (a helm with awesome defense but comes with a built in dot) you need to steal it.

Mirage vest can be found in one chest and if you want more you need to win/steal them. Bonemail turns you into a zombie and there's only one of them if you don't steal more.

Aegis shield is simply awesome. It blocks 33% of incoming magic attacks. You can get two in chests and can steal more if you want.

Giant's glove can only be stolen but it doesn't seem very good. If you want a fourth elf cloak you need to steal it but three is probably sufficient. You can find a single wall ring in a chest and can win/steal a bunch more. 

I hope the rest of this stuff is stolen before you can buy it or something better. I may try to steal some of it I guess, because I'm going to have a thief anyway, but I'm not really keen on stealing most of this stuff. Frowns.