1. Calm Lands right? Well, casting Regen on your players before he takes all your MP and casts zanmato could be help so that after you are reduced to 1 HP, it could raise your HP before the dog hits you. What I did was I had Yuna as a White Mage and constanty healed or casted Pray wich gave about 80 HP to all my players so they would survive the first hit. Then just keep casting pray cause your MP is probably gone by now. By casting Pray you can raise your HP's of everyone to at least 200 before Yojimbo casts zanmato again. So as long as you have enough HP to stay alive it's okay because you'll be reduced back to 1 anyway. That might be of help, might not?

I don't know the answers to yoru other questions. Sorry