Saw this last year and wanted to try, will participate and donate this time. Feels dirty actually paying for the game, but got it for Vita so commute play should be possible. Never completed FF5 so this will be interesting. What times do people usually clock for the festa? Any tips for new players? Think I signed up for a normal run.
Alright. A few tips.
When you reach Worus Castle, you may or may not be able to get the Elf Cloak in the basement. This depends on what class/classes you have from the wind crystal, and shortly after the water crystal. If you get thief or white mage or knight, you should be able to get it without TOO much hassle, though you may need to blow a few phoenix downs. For the record, use !Escape, the healing staff, and !Guard, respectively. The other three wind jobs have a harder time of it, as they'd need to just power through on phoenix downs by their lonesome. Remember, unless your a Thief, you will always be back attacked by the Garkimasra down there, so put everyone in the front row and run like hell.
The second time you have a chance at an Elf Cape is in Karnak Castle after the fire crystal explodes. This one is much easier to get. There is also a hunting knife/Guardian dagger there. Check the forums for the locations, but they're basically on top of the castle. Do some scouting before heading into the steam ship. You go up onto the roof, then south and down some stairs. These items, the ribbon, and Esna/heal are the four big items to go for during this sequence. The other chests have Elixers or Gold, useful but not essential.
Now, for the why. Ribbon is a wonderful helmet that only works with the dancer class. You won't know if you have dancer yet, but if you do, a first world ribbon makes that class basically immune to statuses, and is a huge boost in power. Plus, it has the Dance Up attribute, which removes the confuse dance and replaces it with a second shot at Sword Dance. Naturally, if you don't get dancer, this was useless, but unless you are very pressed for time, you should be able to get it.
Elf Cloak and Guardian Dagger. These are items pretty much anyone can use. The only one who can't use the dagger are Monks. Both are amazing items. Elf Cloak gives ANYONE a 33% chance to evade physical attacks, plus a nice boost in magic and speed. For pure defensive power it lacks, but as defense only matters on physical attacks, and it lets you avoid 33%, its worth it. Guardian dagger is similar, except its only a 25% chance. It is also respectably strong for a knife, which has the bonus property of helping to negate enemy evade rates due to its status as a knife. Give them to anyone who doesn't attack physically, unless they're stronger then what you have. You'll be surprised how far those evade rates will take you.
Check this FAQ.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/588331-final-fantasy-v/faqs/30040 It has the stats for every enemy in the game. Now, during a normal game, this isn't as big of a deal. With access to all classes, you'll basically be able to bull rush through anything and find a solution to any boss without much trouble. In a FJF run, you have limited options. Plus, you'll be surprised at what works and what doesn't.
Buy four mage mashers from Jachol. These cast mute 33% of the time. Some bosses become much easier with it, and for certain combinations of jobs, this may be your only option. In particular, the puroburos fight can be made much easier by the application of mute, in either knife or magic form.
Don't be afraid to run. Near the end of the game, you are given a choice between two weapons. One is at max power, assuming you've never ran. The other is charged up by running. Take the chicken knife, not the brave blade. Only Knights and Freelancers/bare classes can use the Brave Blade, and the chicken knife is more powerful when fully powered up. It does have an annoying tendency to cast !Flee 25% of the time, but that is negated if you can use ANY sort of special attack command. Give it to a Thief with !Capture, and watch the slaughter.
There are several items which have alternate abilities. The Healing staff casts cure 2 instead of attacking. The Defender sword casts Armor when used as an item. The Masamune casts haste in the same way. Power Staff casts Berserk. Sage Staff, life. And there are others. Never sell a weapon that has a special ability. You never know when you'll come up with a use for it, and gold isn't hard to get. In the final areas, you can make 150k a fight while training everyone in all the jobs you have available.