In all RPG's, the status window can seem confusing at first glance. It certainly doesn't help matters that these windows vary from game to game. This section of my site explains the Status Window in Chrono Trigger, so that you can improve your RPG strategy for the entire game.
Look at the above example of Lucca's Status Window. The first thing you will notice in the top left corner of the window is Lucca's picture. To the right of that from top to bottom is the character's element type, which in this case is Fire, the character's name, and the character's level. In this screen, the character's level is **, which in Chrono Trigger means the top level, or 99. After you receive a ** for a level or for any stat, it means that that this stat or level is maxed out and cannot go any higher. It is in its ultimate state. Below the picture and the above info is your equipment listings. This is where the items currently on your character are listed. The first thing that appears is the weapon on your character. Below this is the equipped helmet. Next is the equipped armor, and lastly is the current accessory. To change one of these, press A and the cursor will move into the stats window on the equipment part. Now press A on what you wish to change and then you will be able to scroll down through your items to find the one you wish to put on. When you find it, press A on it and it will equip. To see what is increased be a particular weapon, etc. Look at the little character block. The number next to the weapon symbol, in this case the gun, indicates the current attack power. The number next to the shield shows the character's overall defense with this armor or accessory, and in the stats window it is possible for one of the stats below the equipment listing to change and these are what I will explain next.
Below the equipment, you will notice individual stats. The first one is PWR. or Power. Next to this is a number. The higher it is, the better your power is. Power affects your attack with a direct contact weapon like a sword, a fist, a scythe, or an arm. It also influences contact attacks for characters who use guns or bows at close range. An example of this would be Lucca's hammer attack, or Marle bucking with her crossbow. When guns and crossbows are shot, however, their power isn't influenced by the Power rating. To the right of the Power rating we have SPD. or the Speed stat. Again the higher the number, the better one's speed. Speed affects wait time in battle. The faster you are, the less time you wait between attacks. Below PWR. we see the HIT stat. This stat can confuse some gamers but basically the higher your Hit is, the stronger your attack is when you are refering to a gun or a bow. This of course is the actually shot attack and not the close range. Hit is also said to influence accuracy. To the right of Hit, is EV. or Evade. The higher your Evade, the better you are at dogding enemy attacks and the more chance you have of doing so in a battle. Below the Hit stat is MAG. or Magic. The Magic stat is pretty obvious. The higher this number is, the stronger and the more damage your magic spells will do against an enemy. Across from Magic is STAM. or Stamina. The higher this is, the higher your life will be. Finally, the last stat, below the rest is M. DEF. or Magic Defense. The higher this stat is, the less damage your character sustains during a magic attack. Below your stats are general level info. Your EXP. is your experience level, and NEXT is the amount of experience you need to get to the next level.
Well that just about covers the Status Window. Any other questions you may have, please feel free to email me.
