Prism Psynergy series

The Prism Psynergy series is a series Mercury Psynergy available throughout the Golden Sun series. Freeze Prism, the final Psynergy in the series, has the distinction the Mercury element's strongest Power-based Psynergy in the series. The Hail Prism stage can be emulated by any battler that possesses the usable item known as Crystal Powder.

Basic Description
Prism, Hail Prism, and Freeze Prism are offensive, ranged Psynergies. The total damage inflicted is determined by comparing the caster's Mercury Power to the target's Mercury Resistance and using this number to modify the base power of the particular Psynergy in use.

Visually, each stage of the Prism series features a group of large ice crystals, which appear above the caster and travel diagonally to fall on the targets. The ice crystals shatter into smaller pieces on impact. Each successive stage of the series features larger ice crystals in larger numbers.

Battle Calculations
Elemental Power attacks such as Prism, Hail Prism, and Freeze Prism use a set base power as the base damage to be modified. For example, the base power of Freeze Prism is 190. Thus, an unmodified Freeze Prism would do around 190 points of damage.

Attacks from each stage of the Cool series take this base damage value and uses it in the following equation:


 * final damage = (base damage) * (1 + (User's Mercury Power - Enemy's Mercury Resistance) / 200)

To word this in prose, Prism, Hail Prism, take the base damage of the particular attack, and then modify it by how much higher or lower the user's Mercury Power is than the target's Mercury Resistance. The difference between the user's Mercury Power and the user's Mercury Resistance is then divided by 200, then 1 is added to this, resulting in what can be called the "elemental damage multiplier". This number is what the Psynergies' damage is multiplied by.

For example, if an Adept with a Mercury Power of 150 casts Freeze Prism on a monster with a Mercury Resistance of 50:
 * damage = (base damage) * (1 + (Power - Resistance) / 200)
 * damage = (190) * (1 + (150 - 50) / 200)
 * damage = * (1 +  / 200)
 * damage = (190) * (1 + )
 * damage = 190 *
 * damage = 285

Therefore, a Freeze Prism cast under these circumstances would deal 285 points of damage to the targeted enemy. Since Freeze Prism is a ranged Psynergy, adjacent targets take a percentage of the total damage, with the percentage decreasing as distance from the main target increases.

Availability
The Prism series is available to the Hermit class series, the White Mage class series, and the Pilgrim (Mercury) class series. Thus the series is unavailable to Venus Adepts. Non-Mercury Adepts require large amounts of Mercury Djinn to access the series. However, Mercury Adepts require either Mars Djinn or Jupiter Djinn.

All three classes learn Prism at Level 6 and Freeze Prism at Level 52. The Mercury-based Pilgrim learns Hail Prism at Level 20, while the Hermit and White Mage learn it at level 22.

Analysis
General: The Prism series can be compared to the Jupiter-based Plasma Psynergy series. Like the Plasma series, the Prism series receives heavy usage due to its high power. Also adding to its usage is that the Pilgrim, Hermit, and White Mage classes are more support oriented, as opposed to Attack oriented, meaning that the series is often the offense of choice for dealing with larger groups of enemies.

By Game
Golden Sun: The Prism series seen as part of a Hermit's lineup, often Ivan. The series can be of use against the Mars-based enemies in the various deserts, as well as Saturos and Menardi.

Golden Sun: The Lost Age: As before, the Prism series will be heavily used by any Hermits, White Mages, or Pilgrims. Freeze Prism is especially useful in Mars Lighthouse, due to an abundance of Mercury-weak enemies. However, its power means that it is useful against any enemy not resistant to Mercury.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn:Due to weaker enemies in general, the Hermits, White Mages, and Pilgrims would not be healing as regularly. Thus the Prism series becomes one of the best offenses for weakening groups of targets. In later potions of the game, enemies sometimes come in groups of 4 or more, meaning that Freeze Prism's range becomes fairly efficient.

Other
Crystal Powder: A usable item that emulates the Hail Prism Psynergy for Mercury damage to multiple enemies.