Based on the DQ3 v1.1 translation from DQtranslations.com
The following sources provided information which tremendously sped up the
creation of this guide:
AJackson (GameFAQs)
BSulpher (GameFAQs)
Stahlbaum (GameFAQs)
Note: Unless specified otherwise, lists and tables in this document are in
ascending order of most relevant key, which is usually total average stats.
Depending on the presentation of the information, it may be top to bottom or
left to right.
==============================================================================
PERSONALITY INFORMATION
==============================================================================
This first table gives information concerning each of the personalities. The
main purpose of a personality is to modify a character's growth upon level
up. Therefore, it is advantageous to pick a personality whose modifiers match
the growth pattern of the class. This table does not show how to create new
characters of a given personality because that information is too detailed to
fit in the same table (see the second table). However, it does show how to
change personalities and (about) when you can do it. This is particularly
helpful if you wish to have different personalities after a class change, or
if you want to change personalities after a certain point in order to maximize
a character's efficiency. Personalities that the hero can acquire list which
scenario the hero goes through to attain them. Finally, rough guidance is
given on the general purpose of each personality.
This table is sorted in order of ascending total modifiers.
Here is what the columns mean:
NAME - The name of the personality
T - The earliest tier where you can get one of the items that grants
this personality trait. When both a book and an accessory are
available, no distinction is made with regard to item tier- the
one which is available first controls the tier.
Item Tiers are divided by when you get a new movement ability on
the world map. All sources of items (medals, pachisi, etc.)
are considered except for random monster drops.
Tier 1 = No special movement
Tier 2 = Water travel
Tier 3 = Air travel
BOOK - Which book (if any) can be used to change to this personality
ACCESSORY - Name of the accessory (if any) which will give a character this
personality while equipped
MOD - The modified attribute of the accessory (if any)
D = Defense
P = Power (Strength / Attack)
A = Agility
S = Stamina
W = Wisdom
L = Luck
HERO - Identifies which scenario (if any) can result in the hero having
this personality
Desert = Brothers in Desert
Well = The Well Monster
Cavern = The Cavern Maze
Forest = Forest Boulder Collection
Tower = The Jumping Tower
Dancer = The Dancing Show
Wallet = Old Man's Wallet
Castle = Castle with King
STR - Strength (%) modifier upon level up
Strength increases weapon damage
AGI - Agility (%) modifier upon level up
Agility increases initiative and armor
STM - Stamina (%) modifier upon level up
Stamina increases hit points
WIS - Wisdom (%) modifier upon level up
Wisdom increases magic points and learns spells earlier
LUC - Luck (%) modifier upon level up
Luck increases critical strikes and improves dodging when critical
USE - Expected usage of the personality. This was determined in the
following manner:
Melee score = 3*STR + 1*AGI + 2*STM + 1*LUC
Caster score = 3*AGI + 3*STM + 5*WIS + 1*LUC
The scores are normalized to 100% against Ordinary personality.
If neither score is at least 100%, the USE field is left blank
If only one score is at least 100%, the USE field lists that score
If both scores are at least 100%, the USE field lists "Dual"
Note:
Tomboy, Amazon, Ladylike, and Sexy are Female only
Lewd is Male only
Lucky is Male only; however, a Female can learn it with the Lucky Book
Dauntless class never occurs
==============================================================================
CHARACTER REGISTRATION
==============================================================================
Using this second table is a multistep process. The first 7 columns identify
which set of classes will test against the remaining conditionals of the row.
Example: If you are creating a Wizard, only rows which have the "W" column
filled are usable for the creation of that character
The next 3 columns are used together to select a unique row based on how the
character's attributes are set after seed allocation. All numbers in these
conditionals are based on the bonus given to the attribute relative to its
base value (numbers DO NOT indicate the the total value of the attribute).
First, identify which attribute has the highest bonus, then select the
TEST that matches the situation. The personality will be randomly
selected from the possibilities on that row.
Example: If you are creating a Thief, and put all 5 seeds into Stamina, then
Stamina should be your highest bonus. Rows 91-94 correspond to
this (Thief, HI Stamina). Since your Stamina bonus (from seeds)
should exceed 11, row 91 is selected from among those. The
personality is randomly selected from the ones on that line
(@=Gormet, R=Ironman, J=Tough).
Here are the columns corresponding to the above discussion:
(I know the class names don't match the translation I'm using, but I prefer
the original NES translations for class names, as they better fit with the
Dragon Quest lore at the time the game was made)
S - Soldier (aka Warrior)
F - Fighter
W - Wizard
P - Pilgrim / Priest (aka Cleric)
M - Merchant (aka Dealer)
G - Goof Off (aka Player)
T - Thief
HI - The attribute with the highest amount of bonus points given
GRP - This is an arbitrary number whose sole purpose is to keep the TESTs
in order when the table is sorted; this should be used as the lowest
priority sort key any time you sort on key(s) to the left of this one
TEST - The secondary condition; tested after HI and only for matching classes
The classes are listed in order of ascending total points. Thus, Stubborn
and Gormet (which have average multipliers of 82%) are on the left and Sexy
(which has an average multiplier of 114%) is on the right. Note that this
does not take into account the appropriateness of the mix of attributes,
only the total value. Roughly, Fighters are on the left, Casters in the
middle, and Duals on the right.
Here are the list of personality abbreviations:
! = Stubborn
@ = Gormet
# = Bully
$ = Careless
% = Foolish
^ = Meddler
& = Jock
* = Valiant
( = Naive
) = Macho
Z = Lazy
Y = Selfish
X = Worldly
W = Logical
V = Tomboy
U = Amazon
T = Agile
S = Eager
R = Ironman
Q = Helpless
P = Timid
O = Cowardly
N = Lonesome
M = Honest
L = Defiant
K = Carefree
J = Tough
I = Ordinary
H = Twisted
G = Weepy
F = Dauntless
E = Solitary
D = Vain
C = Alert
B = Happy
A = Kindly
0 = Lewd
9 = Romantic
8 = Smart
7 = Ladylike
6 = Fearless
5 = Sharp
4 = Hyper
3 = Silly
2 = Lucky
1 = Sexy
S F W P M G T HI GRP TEST !@#$%^&*()ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA0987654321
S F Str 11 Str>=11 &* U
S F Str 12 Str>= 7 # & ) V
S F Str 13 Stm 2nd @# U 0
S F Str 14 Agi 2nd $ V L 6
S F Str 15 Else ( M K I 0
W P Str 21 Str>=11 & U 6
W P Str 22 Str>= 7 ! ^& )
W P Str 23 Stm 2nd @ YX S
W P Str 24 Wis 2nd ON L D
W P Str 25 Else ( Z V M I A
M G T Str 31 Str>=11 & ) V L
M G T Str 32 Wis 2nd E C 5
M G T Str 33 Stm 2nd # U 6
M G T Str 34 Agi 2nd % T 3
M G T Str 35 Else Y Q N I G 9
S M G Agi 41 Agi>=12 T 6 4
S M G Agi 42 Agi>= 7 % Y T L
S M G Agi 43 Wis 2nd H C 3
S M G Agi 44 Str 2nd # ) V E
S M G Agi 45 Else $ N I G D
F T Agi 51 Agi>=11 T 6 4
F T Agi 52 Agi>= 7 % T E 6
F T Agi 53 Str 2nd ) V L D
F T Agi 54 Stm 2nd ) S H 0
F T Agi 55 Else I G E 9 6
W P Agi 61 Agi>=8 % T C
W P Agi 62 Str 2nd $ L D
W P Agi 63 Wis 2nd W G 3 1
W P Agi 64 Else ( Q O I 9
S F M Stm 71 Stm>=10 R J
S F M Stm 72 Stm>=6 ! X S 0
S F M Stm 73 Str 2nd @ & K
S F M Stm 74 Else ^ Z P M I
W P Stm 81 Stm>=11 SR J
W P Stm 82 Stm>=6 ! X S 0
W P Stm 83 Wis 2nd ^ L A 1
W P Stm 84 Else ( ON K I
G T Stm 91 Stm>=11 @ R J
G T Stm 92 Stm>= 6 !@ S 0
G T Stm 93 Str 2nd # 6
G T Stm 94 Else Z I E 9 3 1
S F Wis 101 Wis>=10 W H 98
S F Wis 102 Wis>= 6 O D 9 7
S F Wis 103 Else ( Q I A 3
W P Wis 111 Wis>=10 8 5
W P Wis 112 Wis>= 6 W O C 98
W P Wis 113 Else Q NM I G A
M T Wis 121 Wis>=10 8 5
M T Wis 122 Wis>= 6 W DC 8
M T Wis 123 Never $ ^ X I E 9
G Wis 131 Wis>=10 8 5
G Wis 132 Wis>= 6 W C 0 3 1
G Wis 133 Else Z Q K I E
S F Luc 141 Luc>=12 B 7 2
S F Luc 142 Luc>= 7 Z B 9
S F Luc 143 Else $ ( Q I D 3
W P Luc 151 Luc>=12 B 7 2
W P Luc 152 Luc>= 6 ( Z Q B
W P Luc 153 Else $ PO I G D
M T Luc 161 Luc>=12 B 2
M T Luc 162 Luc>= 6 ^ Y Q K B
M T Luc 163 Else ( M I G D A
G Luc 171 Luc>= 9 7 2
G Luc 172 Luc>= 6 ( Q B 0 1
G Luc 173 Else ZY N K G 0 3 1
S F W P M G T HI GRP TEST !@#$%^&*()ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA0987654321
This section summarizes some of views of the above data. No
additional data is presented in this section that is not presented in the
first two tables, but it may be more useful in this section if you do not
have any spreadsheet software to reorganize the data as you want.
--------------------------------------------
The hero can start in the following classes:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
All personalities are available to these classes during the generation phase
of a character except for the following:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following shows which personalities can be attained by each class given
a particular HI attribute:
It is best to decide how you are going to change a character's
class before she is given a personality. Since it is virtually impossible to
know how much you will like a class before you start the game, and since
personalities are assigned at the very beginning, this section will attempt
to guide your choices.
When changing class, all the character's attributes will be cut in half.
Characters must be at least level 20 to change classes and you must have
access to the Dharma Shrine (which should happen around level 20). Sage class
can only be accessed if the character is currently a Goof Off, or if you
have a Zen Book. When changing classes, the game gives you an evaluation of
how good it thinks your current personality is for the new class, but it is
not very accurate.
I group the classes into the following archetypes:
Melee - Soldier, Fighter
Casting - Wizard, Priest, Sage (can't start in Sage)
Utility - Merchant, Goof Off, Thief
Hero - Hero (can't change class to or from)
-----------------------------
1) Who should change classes?
The point of changing classes is to improve the character. Therefore, pick a
class that can improve upon your current one. However, since all your previous
stats get cut in half this is generally only worthwhile if the next class is
"better" than the previous one. Which begs the question why did you start with
the first class if you could have gone directly into the desired class? Well
sometimes there is a purpose, but the above question should be the first thing
you think of whenever you consider changing classes.
1a) Melee Classes (No!)
The melee classes do not multiclass well because their attributes are
geared for one thing only. Switching to casting is bad because the magic
points will be too low in the new class. Switching to a utility class is
bad because they trade power for versatility, which is not what you need
in a new class.
No substitute class is benefitted by having a melee class beforehand, so
don't multiclass these characters.
1b) Casting Classes (to Sage!)
The starting casting classes are both superceded by the Sage, so it is
usually worthwhile to switch. You can finish learning off the spells
in your current class and simultaneously learn the spells in the other
class. Since you only get one Zen Book early enough to reasonably use it,
a Goof Off is suggested if you want to make a second Sage. There is no
point in changing a Sage's class again as it takes so long to finish
mastering the class (~level 40 + your earlier levels) that the game will
end before the final class change pays off.
Although Sage does supercede the initial classes, it should be noted that
if you don't care about the other magic tree then another option would be
to stick with the class and master it. The benefit is you can switch
after filling your spellbook. While melee is more powerful in the
abstract, the lack of overlap with the caster's stats makes the change
a poor choice in practice. Switching to another caster at this point is
absurd because a greater percent of your stat points will be halved than
if you had switched to Sage earlier. So what's left are the Utility
classes. Since Goof Offs purpose is to gain Sage and we're past that
point, ignore it. Merchant and Thief are similar but gold is not really
worth anything at this point so the Thief's ability is better.
1c) Utility Classes (up to you)
Utility classes are ultimately weaker versions of the melee classes
distinguished by their special abilities. Merchants give extra cash,
Thieves give extra items, and Goof Offs periodically waste their turns but
can become Sages later.
Utility classes are good for changing into anything else. The reason to
pick the Goof Off class is to use it as a stepping stone into Sage. The
other two are reasonable to switch into any other class you feel you need
when the option becomes available. Each of these classes gains magic
points, unlike the melee classes, so it is possible to switch to a caster
without much fuss. Since stats are already ok for combat, they can also
switch into melee. Either way, you are only giving up a minor special
ability and gaining a lot of power.
---------------------------------
2) So... What should my party be?
2a) First slot
Your hero. You don't get an option on that.
2b) Second slot
You need a Pilgrim for healing.
2c) Third slot
Either melee class. Soldiers get more strength and stamina while Fighters
get more agility and luck. Melee classes are the most expensive due to
gear, but they also tend to be the best. Fighters are slightly cheaper,
but it is not a big difference so either choice works.
2d) Fourth slot
You can fit almost anything here. I'll discuss the possibilities.
-Another melee class is a good option for all the reasons melee is #3.
-A Wizard is a possibility. However, they will be of limited value before
you get to change classes.
-Since the Hero can handle backup healing, you don't need another Pilgrim.
-A Goof Off is a decent pick. They periodically waste their turns but they
aren't too horrible. I would pick a Soldier for your melee slot if you're
getting a Goof Off from the beginning because it takes a while before
decent Fighter gear becomes available. A secret Fighter weapon which is
available before the Dharma Shrine is very difficult to obtain, so you
definitely don't want a Goof Off for that.
-A Merchant or Thief are probably the "standard" choices. A Merchant gives
you extra gold, and up until the Dharma Shrine, money is a limiting factor
for your gear, but after that point you will never be short on money
again. A Thief gets you some extra items, but the good stuff is later in
the game so you might not multiclass if you start with a Thief. But the
real strength of the utility classes is that they are better at
mulitclassing, so if you aren't planning on taking advantage of that then
you should pick someone else instead.
-----------------------------------
3) What personalities should I get?
This section looks at each class/multiclass in isolation, but picks can be
further improved by taking a holistic view of the entire party. Personality
switches are most valuable the closest to the middle of the game that you
perform them (around level 20). If you do it near the beginning or end, one
of the personalities will have had minimal effect on the character and that
personality will not have had much of an impact on the character. Thus, I
would save personality items you find at the beginning of the game that you
plan to use and make sure you are getting maximum benefit from BOTH of your
personalities.
----------------------------------------------------
3.1) I don't want to switch my personalities in game
For the Hero,
All attributes are used, but it is closest to melee because the magic spells
are poor for most of the game. So I would pick any Melee or Dual class. These
are listed in the Summary section above.
For Melee,
The following personalities scored at least 105% on Table 1's melee score:
Ironman
Fearless
Hyper
Lewd
Jock
Lazy
Valiant
Amazon
Lucky
Tough
For Casting,
The following personalities scored at least 105% on Table 1's caster score:
Lewd
Lucky
Logical
Romantic
Alert
Fearless
Solitary
Hyper
Silly
Smart
Sexy
Sharp
For Utility Classes,
Pick according to Melee or Casting personalities if you already know your
final class will be one of those. Otherwise, the following personalities
provide at least 105% average modifiers:
Ladylike
Sharp
Fearless
Hyper
Silly
Lucky
Sexy
-----------------------------------------------------
3.2) I'm okay with switching my personalities in game
Refer to Table 1 to see which item is used to convert into the destination
personality/personalities.
For Pure Melee,
To focus on a particular attribute, start with one of these personalities:
Strength - Jock, Valiant, Amazon
Agility - Silly, Hyper
Stamina - Solitary, Ironman, Lewd, Tough
Luck - Ladylike, Lucky
Switching into the following focus, your personality will become:
Strength - Jock, Valiant
Agility - Fearless, Silly, Sexy, Hyper
Stamina - Worldly, Lewd, Solitary
Luck - Ladylike, Sexy, Lucky
For Pure Casting with an offensive focus,
Agility is less important because initiative isn't a big deal for this setup.
Due to this, the Sexy class is not so spectacular here. So start with
either a high Wisdom personality or high Stamina, then switch to the other
when you find the item and feel ready to make the change. Although Sharp has
the greatest Wisdom modifier, I would not switch to it because the Smart
Glasses give +15 Wisdom which overshadows the 10% difference between Smart and
Sharp. While Solitary is a better Stamina personality than Lewd,
The Golden Necklace provides a much better mod than the Rockstar Ring does
for this character. The Rockstar Ring also takes longer to get, so it is
harder to optimize your class change timing.
These are your best options:
Lewd -> Smart
Solitary -> Smart
Sharp -> Lewd
Smart -> Lewd
Logical -> Lewd
For Pure Casting with a defensive or balanced focus,
Agility is more important so you can heal before the enemy's round of attacks.
So I would start with either Stamina or Wisdom, then switch into Agility, or
the reverse. While Silly is good for Agility, it takes a long time before you
can switch to it and the item is not very good. Soon after unlocking Silly you
can switch to Hyper anyway and that is better for an Agility switch. Since it
takes a long time to get the Hyper item, you may want to switch to an an
intermediary personality. All of the other Agility personalities are less
focused than Hyper, and also have worse items. Any choice is ok. As with the
offensive caster, Sharp, Alert, and Solitary are all options for switching
into Stamina or Wisdom, but the item effects from Smart and Lewd are better.
Solitary -> [Fearless/Sexy/Sharp] -> [Hyper]
Alert -> [Fearless/Sexy/Sharp] -> [Hyper]
Logical -> [Fearless/Sexy/Sharp] -> [Hyper]
Smart -> [Fearless/Sexy/Sharp] -> [Hyper]
Sharp -> [Fearless/Sexy] -> [Hyper]
Silly -> Lewd
-> Solitary
-> Smart
Sexy -> Lewd
-> Solitary
-> Smart
Sharp -> Lewd
-> Solitary
-> Smart
For Caster -> Utility (Merchant or Thief),
While a caster, build the prime caster stats. When switching over, build
a synergy.
To focus on a particular attribute, start with one of these personalities:
Agility - Silly, Sexy, Sharp
Stamina - Lewd, Solitary
Wisdom - Alert, Logical, Smart, Sharp
Switching into the following focus, your personality will become:
Strength - Jock, Valiant
Agility - Fearless, Silly, Sharp, Sexy, Hyper
Stamina - Lewd, Worldly, Solitary
For Utility -> Melee,
Since the melee class is going to be better at building Strength and Stamina,
you will focus on one of those stats after the class change. Before the class
change focus on Agility or Luck (if you want to focus on the same things
before and after class change then just go pure melee instead).
To focus on a particular attribute, start with one of these personalities:
Agility - Fearless, Silly, Sexy, Hyper
Luck - Ladylike, Lucky
Switching into the following focus, your personality will become:
Strength - Jock, Valiant
Stamina - Worldly, Lewd, Solitary
For Utility -> Goof Off -> Sage,
While in the Goof Off class, a Rabbit's Foot or Lady's Manual are good to
capitalize on the luck growth of the class, since luck is the only stat that
really rises. So the other two classes can completely ignore luck.
Fearless -> Happy/Ladylike -> Smart/Sharp
Sharp -> Happy/Ladylike -> Smart/Sharp
Silly -> Happy/Ladylike -> Smart/Sharp
Sexy -> Happy/Ladylike -> Smart/Sharp
Ladylike -> Ladylike -> Smart/Sharp
Hyper -> Happy/Ladylike -> Smart/Sharp
Lewd -> Happy/Ladylike -> Smart
Tough -> Happy/Ladylike -> Smart
Ironman -> Happy/Ladylike -> Smart
For Goof Off -> Sage,
At first, the character should start in a luck boosting personality. Then
switch over to something that synergizes with the old personality, which is
usually Agility or Wisdom, but since Sexy is already good at both of those
you can get Stamina instead.
Cowardly -> Smart
Cowardly -> Sharp
Twisted -> Fearless
Twisted -> Silly
Twisted -> Hyper
Twisted -> Sharp
Twisted -> Sexy
Ladylike -> Smart
Ladylike -> Sharp
Lucky -> Fearless
Lucky -> Silly
Lucky -> Hyper
Lucky -> Sharp
Lucky -> Sexy
Lucky -> Smart
Sexy -> Solitary
Sexy -> Sharp
Other combinations are not considered because I do not consider them worthy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to BSulpher, the classes grow in the following pattern. I have not
verified this. This is listed because you should only pick personalities that
synergize with the Pros of a class. Penalties on an attribute that is listed
under the Cons for a class don't really matter.
