i find the BB to be boring and weak. sure he has phenomonal attack power but only at ridiculously high levels that you dont reach if you r playin a normal game. thiefs can run away very good. the they can use black magic and have attack and defense that is only second to your fighter (assuming that you have at least 1/3 of a brain cell and included a fighter in you party). And as far as my expieriances have gone i have seen white mages in games that have more hp than the BB in the same party. And having lots of hp does no good when you can keep it very long. ghosts have hit me for like 400 plus damage to a master in the second slot. so i find thieves/ninjas to be much more of a reliable character in the game