so much for peaceful negotiations
Final Fantasy XII introduces a unique licensing system for obtaining everything from spells to armory. With every battle won, Licence Points (LP) are awarded to each member of the party (regardless of whether or not they actually participated in the fighting). These LP can be exchanged for licence to wield certain weapons, spells, Technicks, and defenses on the game menu's Licence Board. It is important to note, however, that having Licence to use an item, spell, or Technicks means just that: you are licensed to use it. The individual items, spells, and Technicks still need to be purchased at shops scattered throughout Ivalice before you can put the Licence to use in the field. The exceptions to this are the special Mist abilities: the Quickenings and Esper summons. These abilities are learned and usable as soon as a Licence is purchased.
Although an individual party member's natural talents may lend him or her to one position over another, the versatility of the Licence Board gives everyone a chance to play ball. The official strategy guide even recommends licensing at least one long-ranged and one short-ranged weapon per character. Before doing this, however, I implore you to consider the following:



So yes, if you want to commit pop culture blasphemy and take full responsibility for the end of the world, then by all means, equip Balthier with whatever you'd like.
(As for Fran, we all know that Viera Archers > Viera Not!Archers, but I have yet to find a place for her in the Bond to Bunansa analogy. She's not dippy enough to be a Bond Girl, but she can't be Chewbacca, can she? That leaves us with Billy Dee Williams. ...I'm not sure I'll be able to reconcile with that.)
Balthier and Fran -- both exceptional marksmen -- make for great support characters while Lady Ashe runs head first into the fray like the mad woman she is (or Basch. With an axe). Her knack for magic is slightly above his, while his potential attack power and defense inches ahead of hers. However, both are fairly balanced characters, and you may find yourself sending them into battle together while your primary melee fighter hacks away at the boss (see also Mad Maxine Ashe or Basch With An Axe).
do I have to do everything around here?
| Level | HP | MP | Attack Power | Magic Power* | Vitality | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 99~103 | 20~22 | 25 | 17 | 24 | 24 |
| 10 | 277~311 | 32~41 | 28 | 20 | 27 | 25 |
| 20 | 630~725 | 51~75 | 34 | 24 | 31 | 26 |
| 30 | 1084~1261 | 71~109 | 39 | 28 | 34 | 28 |
| 40 | 1513~1768 | 95~153 | 44 | 32 | 38 | 29 |
| 50 | 2198~2581 | 115~189 | 50 | 36 | 41 | 31 |
| 60 | 2803~3299 | 134~223 | 55 | 40 | 45 | 32 |
| 70 | 3146~3702 | 149~247 | 60 | 44 | 48 | 34 |
| 80 | 3542~4168 | 163~271 | 65 | 48 | 52 | 35 |
| 90 | 4082~4808 | 173~285 | 71 | 52 | 55 | 37 |
| 99 | 4691~5531 | 177~289 | 75 | 56 | 58 | 38 |
I always knew fran didn't take well to being tied up. I just never knew how much
| Level | HP | MP | Attack Power | Magic Power* | Vitality | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 85~89 | 25~27 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 23 |
| 10 | 256~288 | 38~49 | 27 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 20 | 594~685 | 60~88 | 32 | 26 | 26 | 25 |
| 30 | 1029~1199 | 83~127 | 37 | 30 | 30 | 27 |
| 40 | 1440~1684 | 110~177 | 42 | 34 | 33 | 28 |
| 50 | 2097~2464 | 134~218 | 47 | 39 | 36 | 30 |
| 60 | 2677~3151 | 156~257 | 52 | 43 | 40 | 31 |
| 70 | 3005~3538 | 172~284 | 57 | 47 | 43 | 32 |
| 80 | 3385~3985 | 189~312 | 62 | 51 | 46 | 34 |
| 90 | 3902~4598 | 200~328 | 67 | 55 | 50 | 35 |
| 99 | 4486~5290 | 205~333 | 71 | 59 | 53 | 36 |
*Stacey Anne is Kanji Retarded