MATERIA: HOW DOES IT WORK?

[Braver]

I think the name explains it.
In advent children, they are small glowing orbs. Surely you have to be a wizard/spellcaster/magic-user to channel that stuff?
So, how does it work? Must know!

[FFIX Choco Boy]

I always thought of it this way: Materia is crystallized mako energy from the lifestream. Living things are made of mako energy from the lifestream. Therefore, they can affect each other in a few ways by using resonant mako-frequencies, sort of like the way many aquatic creatures communicate with each other.

[Mercen-X]

The Lifestream is composed of midichlorians. A living person's midichlorian count rises as they defeat people/monsters in battle. In turn, this alters their base statistics and also their raw talent with materia.

Materia is quick-fossiled midichlorian fluid, the core of which is liquid. The midichlorians in a person's body can be commanded to resonate with the midichlorians in the materia, thereby unlocking the talent contained in the orb. However, magical skills are derived of midichlorians far more ancient than any possessed by modern men. They are derived of the Cetrancients. This is why people need materia in the first place and cannot simply conjure elements naturally.
As is displayed by the Mainstays, materia is not necessary for people to learn and utilize unique talents such as the Meteorain, All Creation, Cosmo Memory, or any of Vincent's transformations.

[Alpha2099]

I thought they explained it a little bit during Cloud's flashback. Unfortunately I don't remember a word of the conversation.

[Goldenboko]

It's magic.

[CimminyCricket]

It's magic.

This.

[Hollycat]

Shinra Power Company
>ALL Files
>> SOLDIER FILES
>>> Combat
>>>>Materia

Materia work in the same way light bulbs and other electronics work. They all have the potential to do something, but without the proper energy, they can't be activated. By passing ones MP through the materia like an electrical current, one can activate them. However, since the body can only contain a limited amount of Mp at one time, your body can only expend mp in short bursts, so as to not burn out the body. That is why materia can't be used constantly, even if you are swimming in the lifestream, they can only be used in bursts. Thus, fire materia, not flamethrower materia.

Some materia are special, such as the enemy skill materia. Enemy skill takes mp from the body and uses the mp to power different attacks that have been stored in the materias memory. Thus, by diffusing a bunch of energy at once, one can use dark flare or beta, or by using a small amount of mp over a long time use a power such as big guard or flamethrower.

Guard materia work by diffusing the mp into the air, not actually stopping blows, but instead deflecting them, Expending as little energy as possible in doing so.

Then there are materia such as cure, which instead of pumping mp into attacks, speeds up the bodies regenitive properties. It is unknown whether or not prolonged exposure to cure materia can result in a shorter lifespan.

Summoning materia are special. They turn the MP into a temporary gateway, allowing creatures from other dimensions to be summoned. However, the half life of these gateways is very short, thus summons can't stick around to fight with you, for once all the mp has decayed, everything that passed through the gate returns to the other side.

The black materia actually doesn't use mp as an attack, but instead uses mp to power itself. The black materia is actually a homing beacon to summon meteor, thus if meteor is destroyed, the black materia becomes basically useless.

THe all materia is actually just a simple catalyst, with nothing created or destroyed, simply making the materia reactions more efficient. However, the catalyst overheats at lower levels, meaning it can't be used often.

Encounter up and down materia use the energy stored inside to emit vibrations at frequencies which either scare or attract monsters based on the materia.

Finally we have the support materia and command materia, neither of which use mp at all. Support materia gain their powers during battle, repetitive physical and magical attacks create kinetic energy, which the materia stores inside. This energy is the flowed through the host body in a complete circuit, so no energy is ever lost. The energy from the materia is used to tweak muscles and nerves, slowly making them more efficient and sturdy.
Command materia such as slash all, cover, and double cut also store kinetic energy, but use the energy only to heighten ones perception, making their reflexes faster, allowing them to get in an extra cut or two or sense where a blow is going to land and move to intercept it. This is acheived by sending excess energy to the parts of the brain associated with vision and the flight or flight reaction. The slash all materia 010011001 file edited 11/16/1996- code rufus shinra- is a myth.

[Depression Moon]

Sephiroth explains it in VII.

[Red Mage Coffman]

I just thought you put the materia in your equipment/arm and that was it. Then you're able to cast magic and use abilities. Didn't think to much about it, after all, it is Final Fantasy. Then again, I bring realism into Final Fantasy all the time, so what the heck?

[Mirage]

It's like plug and play, man.

Materia is made out of the same stuff that you are, so when you hold it, it becomes like... an extention of your body and mind. It contains the knowledge of the ancients condensed into an energy crystal that is fully compatible with the mako energy in your own body. Or something.

I figure you can use any materia that is in contact with your body in some way or another, and that materia slots are like specially made pockets or something that ensure that the materia is firmly attached to you so it doesn't fall off, while still being in contact with your body. For weapons, I imagine that there are some sort of mako conductors from the slots to your hands.

I guess you could sort of just hold several dozen materia crystals in your hands and use them all, but things would fall out of your hands all the time if you tried to fight like that. Also, how would you grab your weapon with your hands full of materia?

[Jiro]

Some very good points raised in here except the ones that said it's magic. The game gives Sephiroth his opportunity to laugh at the usage of the term (despite the fact the Command is called Magic) so I'd say it's pretty bogus to put it down to "magic"

[Depression Moon]

^Which makes me wonder if there is no magic within the game then where is the fantasy element coming from, other than Red XIII of course

[Mirage]

Magic is by no means mandatory for a fantasy story.

[Goldenboko]

Some very good points raised in here except the ones that said it's magic. The game gives Sephiroth his opportunity to laugh at the usage of the term (despite the fact the Command is called Magic) so I'd say it's pretty bogus to put it down to "magic"

No, it's fine to call it magic once you've taken a butt-load of a real science courses. Almost all games attempts to explain the "powers" of it's inhabitants are usually actually pretty poor just take the first sentence of HC's post:

Materia work in the same way light bulbs and other electronics work. They all have the potential to do something, but without the proper energy, they can't be activated. By passing ones MP through the materia like an electrical current, one can activate them.

Oh it's like circuits, duh, that totally makes the fact they call inter-dimensional portals completely explained!

Even Mass Effect who incorporates more scientific explanations into many of the game's aspects still pretty much has to chalk a lot of stuff up to "space magic".

EDIT: Another good one.

Command materia such as slash all, cover, and double cut also store kinetic energy,

Any "stored kinetic energy" is potential energy and they aren't REALLY explaining anything? How the hell are the pumping your body with energy? And what type? Because electric and heat energy would just destroy any body they are pumped into, we get electric energy pumped into us in real life by lightning and when our bodies have excess heat they are just running a fever. It sure as hell isn't actual Kinetic energy being pumped into them, because that is just energy associated with motion. By saying materia "adds kinetic energy to the body", they are just restating what we already know, somehow materia makes a body stronger and faster. They are not providing an explanation of how it works. They're writer's not scientists. It works through magic or gtfo.

[Hollycat]

Some very good points raised in here except the ones that said it's magic. The game gives Sephiroth his opportunity to laugh at the usage of the term (despite the fact the Command is called Magic) so I'd say it's pretty bogus to put it down to "magic"

No, it's fine to call it magic once you've taken a butt-load of a real science courses. Almost all games attempts to explain the "powers" of it's inhabitants are usually actually pretty poor just take the first sentence of HC's post:

Materia work in the same way light bulbs and other electronics work. They all have the potential to do something, but without the proper energy, they can't be activated. By passing ones MP through the materia like an electrical current, one can activate them.

Oh it's like circuits, duh, that totally makes the fact they call inter-dimensional portals completely explained!

Even Mass Effect who incorporates more scientific explanations into many of the game's aspects still pretty much has to chalk a lot of stuff up to "space magic".

EDIT: Another good one.

Command materia such as slash all, cover, and double cut also store kinetic energy,

Any "stored kinetic energy" is potential energy and they aren't REALLY explaining anything? How the hell are the pumping your body with energy? And what type? Because electric and heat energy would just destroy any body they are pumped into, we get electric energy pumped into us in real life by lightning and when our bodies have excess heat they are just running a fever. It sure as hell isn't actual Kinetic energy being pumped into them, because that is just energy associated with motion. By saying materia "adds kinetic energy to the body", they are just restating what we already know, somehow materia makes a body stronger and faster. They are not providing an explanation of how it works. They're writer's not scientists. It works through magic or gtfo.

Hey, never said I was right, just made something up on the spot that sounded nice.

And actually, no, I meant it as the energy is stored when it is kinetic energy from impacts. It can be stored as potential, but impacts are most definitely kinetic.