Fortune Teller
The Fortune Teller (占い師) is a recurring type of NPC found throughout several titles, as well as a vocation that is thus far exclusive to Dragon Quest X.
Characteristics[edit]
The fortune teller's default female outfit consists of a a fishnet lining that covers a black, sleeveless crop top and slides under an open lavender dress. The two garments are connected by a red sash over the woman's navel, with a larger tied sash hanging on her hips that terminates into yellow tassels. A cowl masks the woman's face, and a lavender head covering kept in place with a red band. For accessories, she wears torcs, wrist gauntlets, and a slender necklace capped with a red gem.
The male fortune teller wears a white hooded robe with golden trim, a golden sash, and a golden headwrap under the hood. He wears green pants with brown gloves and boots.
Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line[edit]
The first Fortune Teller of the series resides on the island kingdom of Dirkandor, running a stall in the northwest corner. Unfortunately he gives lousy directions when asked for the locations of crucial items, randomly selecting one of the cardinal directions instead of providing actual help.
- This was changed in the 2014 Android/iOS version, where the old man now gives clear instructions to track down the five sigils.
Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake[edit]
The Dirkandor Fortune Teller returns in the HD-2D remake, and now provides players with clues regarding the events taking place in Cantlin, the Deserted Village, & Slewse as players given better guidance towards the five sigils throughout the game. He also warns players of Abysmerelda and Helliphantes, the dreaded Lords of the Sea.
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen[edit]
Meena Mahabala is the first playable Fortune Teller in the series, though her attributes and spells are based on the Priest vocation. Her silver tarot cards allow her to divine in battle, producing a random effect based on a given card's theme:
- Justice: Casts Poof on all enemies and sends them flying into the blue.
- Devil: Casts Kasap on all foes.
- Death: Casts Whack on one enemy.
- Sun: Restores a moderate to large amount of health to all allies.
- Moon: Casts Dazzle on all enemies.
- Strength: Casts Oomph on a random ally.
- Star: Doubles the amount of experience and gold received after battle.
- Tower: Casts Zap on all enemies. Damage dealt is Meena's level multiplied between 0.5 and 2.
- Fool: Casts Thwack on the entire party. Normal chance of this card being drawn is miniscule, but if the cards are read more than twice in one battle the chance will increase to 50%.
Meena can also tell the fortune of the player when using the cards as an item outside of battle, but this is just a fun bonus with no impact on gameplay. She is shown trying to make a living in Endor through her fortune telling at the beginning of Chapter 5, though what funds she acquires through this are shown to be eaten up by her sister's gambling addiction.
There is also Nun the Wiser who dwells in the House of Prophecy on the continent of Libeccio. The Sister can be spoken to through chapters 4 & 5, yielding different dialogue.
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride[edit]
The bustling casino town of Fortuna is home to Mystic Mridula, who does her divining under the cover of night. The granny's divinations change at different points in the game to aid the player's progression and her information is reliable, but she does not give straight answers. She is hinted to be the one who prophetized Nera Briscoletti's future when she was a little girl, and according to the Scuttlebutt Alledger the old bat has been deciphering the future for over a century.
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation[edit]
There are a pair of Fortune Tellers in the game, with one residing in the Upper World while Madame Luca Luminista handles things in the Lower World. Luca is crucial to the game's plot, taking the amnesiac Milly under her wing and allowing her to stay in her home until she regains her memories. She also aids the Hero and Carver, explaining the nature of their bizarre circumstances after the failed siege on Murdaw's Keep seen in the game's opening.
Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past[edit]
Palmela and her distant descendant are the resident Fortune Tellers of Emberdale, playing a role in restoring that island to its proper status after it is sealed away. She is also visited during the Greenthumb Gardens scenario, where she concocts a potion to cure Carraway of the lingering petrification of the gray rain that plagued the region.
Additional Fortune Tellers are the old coot who lives in Castle Estard, the old woman who resides in the massive pit near Faraday and provides vague clues to find tablet fragments players missed, and the old woman in Alltrades Abbey who informs players of how many battles it will take to advance a vocation to the next rank.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King[edit]
Kalderasha is the main Fortune Teller of the game, and he is a main figure in the opening segment. Once that portion of the game is completed he will be happy to provide his services to the Hero, and gives more accurate guidance than most other diviners. In the Nintendo 3DS port he will also be able to show players the final moments of Rylus, one of the Seven Sages and first victim of Dhoulmagus. There is also a young woman in Pickham who can read the player's fortune, but her skills do less than impress.
Dragon Quest X[edit]
Meena was added to the game in the version 1.5 update and serves as a quest-giving NPC who can also positively influence a player's game for up to two hours.
Madam Luca Luminista was added to the game in the version 2.3 update of December 2014, where she appears as a quest-giving NPC. Her backstory is revealed during her quest, showing that she is a native to a different dimension that was destroyed by Nokturnus many decades ago and that she escaped obliteration through unknown means. She has spent that time searching for a way to avenger her world but is on the verge of despair until she encounters the Hero, who defeated the dream demon in a separate encounter. Once her quest is finished by the player she will depart for the world of Dragon Quest VI in pursuit of Nokturnus, arriving just one day prior to the failed assault on Murdaw's Keep.
Fortune tellers were added to the game in the version 3.3 update in 2016. They may equip Bow, Staves, Swords, and Whips. Their unique ability is to use use tarot cards in battle to provide a variety of effects; 22 arcana with 78 variations per card that can be organized into a single deck of twenty cards. This gives the fortune teller 1716 options to choose from when assembling a deck.
Tarot cards[edit]
A Fortune Teller lives and dies by their deck of tarot cards. A hand of four cards out of the twenty card deck is drawn once battle commences, and players can carry up to six individual decks. A fortune teller can choose to play that card or use their turn to shuffle it back into their deck and draw another card instead. In either case a new card is added to the hand so that four are available at any time. Each card has certain conditions that can double it's potency if met, noted by an aura that appears on the card.
うらない (Divination)[edit]
NOTE:The parenthetical translations of the Japanese names are merely placeholders for convenience and are not to be taken as official Square Enix terms
| Japanese name | English name | Description | MP | Required points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| アルカナ占い (Arcana divination) |
N/A | Enters a state where if the character defeats a monster on their own, the target will drop "tarot fragments" Duration is 30 minutes |
N/A | 8 |
| 全職業で隠れた敵が見える (See hidden monsters) |
N/A | Player can see invisible enemies in all vocations | N/A | 16 |
| 全職業で最大MP+10 | Natural MP +10 | Permanently increases max MP by 10 in all vocations | N/A | 28 |
| ライトフリング (Right fling) |
N/A | Discard the two right-most cards in characters hand to deal 120% damage to one enemy and draw two new cards | 2 | 40 |
| タロットの威力アップ (Tarot power up) |
N/A | Tarot card damage doubles permanently | N/A | 48 |
| ひき直し時ターン不要 (Quicker drawing) |
N/A | Drawing cards no longer takes a whole turn | N/A | 56 |
| レフトフリング (Left fling) |
N/A | Discard the two left-most cards in characters hand to deal 120% damage to one enemy and draw two new cards | 2 | 70 |
| タロットの威力アップ (Tarot power up) |
N/A | Tarot card damage increases by 300% permanently (400% total) | N/A | 80 |
| 全職業で最大HP+10 | Natural HP +10 | Permanently increases max HP by 10 in all vocations | N/A | 90 |
| リセットベール (Reset veil) |
N/A | Discards hand to increase base evasion by 10% for 60 seconds | 6 | 110 |
| 全職業で最大MP+10 | Natural MP +10 | Permanently increases max MP by 10 while a fortune teller | N/A | 120 |
| エンゼルのみちびき (Angel guidance) |
N/A | An Angel slime monster tarot card is added to the character's hand, allowing them to select any one card from their deck at will No effect if character does not have an angel slime card in their deck |
N/A | 130 |
| テンション消費減 (Minimized tension) |
N/A | Tension is no longer used up when playing a card | N/A | 140 |
| 魅惑の水晶球 (Crystal ball enchantment) |
N/A | Tarot card damage increases by 200% permanently (600% total) | 8 | 150 |
| 魔王のいざない (Demon king's invitation) |
N/A | Places one SSS-ranked monster tarot card in player's hand Listed in priority of being drawn: Atlas, Pazuzu, Belial, Bones of Baramos, Soul of Baramos, King Hydra, Blackmar, Dhuran, Jamiras, & Gracos |
N/A | 180 |
| リバートハンド (Revert hand) |
N/A | Returns hand to the previous state, useful for forcing the best card out of 魔王のいざない | N/A | 200 |
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai: A Hero's Bonds[edit]
Merle was added as a playable character on the game's first anniversary due to fan demand, and her playstyle is based on fortune telling.
Notable fortune tellers[edit]
- Milly becomes an apprentice of Madame Luca in the finale of VI.
Trivia[edit]
- While Meena's epithet marks her as a fortune teller and she meets the Hero while reading their palm, her battle abilities outside of the use of the silver tarot cards are still those of a priestess; X is the first game in the series to feature a playable diviner.
Gallery[edit]
Meena and her silver tarot cards
Mystic Mridula
Madam Luca as she appears in Dragon Quest Rivals
The default human stock art of the Fortune Teller in X.
Merle as she appears in the 2020 anime
