Thief

It's fair to say that thieves aren't really designed for attacking. They're more of the sneaky stealy type, and it's hard to remain undetected when you're hanging off a blade sticking out of their back. That said, she does carry two weapons (for instant Chaining) and her high Luck means there's often critical damage in the offing...

If the enemy is carrying something nice, make it your own with a quick bit of pocket-pickery. Each enemy also has a rare item which might be stolen instead, and it's worth noting that Oversouled opponents usually have better or more numerous goodies. Stealing isn't guaranteed success even for the most skilled of thieves, and not every enemy will be willing to give up their precious goods on the first attempt. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it.

Particularly useful in the early stages where money is in short supply, Pilfer Gil provides a quick boost to the party's coffers. The amount stolen is usually pretty small, but keep at it (against different enemies) and the pennies will soon mount up.

They can't catch you if they can't... do anything. While it's easy to overlook a skill like this because it doesn't have the flashy pyrotechnics seen with other dresspheres, it casts Stop on an enemy. Not only does it protect the thief and her sistren from further attacks, it opens the door to repeated steal attempts with impunity.

The Thief is not so hot in the HP stakes, but she can steal the very life force from her opponents. For a reasonably affordable MP cost and no charge time, this attack damages the opponent and restores her own HP by the same amount.

Many of the Thief's more useful abilities require MP, and she does not have a lot of magical energy to play around with. Top up her reserves with this useful command, which has the added bonus of draining the enemy's MP and thus reducing their spellcasting abilities.

All memories of Zidane and Hilgigars shall be banished just by learning this simple ability. It is expensive, at 20MP a pop, but it guarantees a successful steal if the enemy has anything to give up.

High-class thieves know the tricks of the trade and how to recognise trash from treasure. The Master Thief ability offers an alternative to Steal which targets only the enemy's rare item. It has the same success rate as a normal steal, but if it does hit then she will always get the rare item.

Now this is an unusual choice. Soul Swipe attempts to steal an enemy's self-control, causing them to go Berserk if it is successful. Unlike most other steals the Thief doesn't gain anything by using this skill. The benefits to the party are questionable too.

Even stranger, but slightly more useful, is the ability to steal someone's fighting spirit. Expensive for a skill that rarely works, Steal Will attempts to encourage the victim to turn tail and flee. A further downside is that fleeing enemies do not give any spoils.

Learn this. Sometimes things just aren't going your way. Flee commands everyone to escape from battle, and is near-instant in terms of execution and certainly easier than issuing Escape instructions individually. Though remember that if one girl manages to Escape then the party survives overall, so use Flee when they need to get out fast without losing HP.

The Thief is all about the material gain, and so learning this ability early on is a must. With Item Hunter in the bag, enemies are much more likely to drop goodies at the end of a battle.

When combined with Flee, this skill is nigh-on essential. First Strike ensures that the Thief always starts the battle with a full ATB bar and is ready to act immediately.

First Strike+, in other words. Initiative increases the chances of having the entire party start a battle in First Strike stance, meaning the Thief's slower allies can make their moves that much faster.

The Thief's major advantage in battle is her speed, as it gives her the chance to act faster and so defend herself against the more powerful, more lumbering opponents. So getting caught with Slow is a major problem. Prevent it.

Not a lot of enemies will use Stop, but when they do you don't want to get hit by it. Stopproof may not be useful all the time, but it can prevent very embarrassing disasters.