Theoretical Strats
Doesn't belong in guides, being theoretical and all, so I'll post here. Hopefully can generate some excitement / interest into route improvements and interest in Ogre Battle in general.
Item drop versus weapon drop
With limited RNG manip ability, rigging one item probably prevents a weapon drop. Defeating the last of an enemy unit has a chance to drop a consumable item. ROM map grouping shows 32 possibilities. The Unit Analysis Guide by Deathlike2 says the item drop odds are 1 in 10, apparently not influenced by LUK. An early Dream Crown comes to mind, as does a Trade Ticket (TICKET).
Finally, a use for Death Tarot to speed up defeating a non-boss unit for the drop chance.
Trade Ticket Max Value
Using the ticket summons Anywhere Jack. He sells the HP, STR, AGI, INT and LUK boosting items. Very annoyingly, using the same item more than once targets the unit leader and leader swapping takes time. Even more annoyingly, using them gives a random boost and the game doesn't let you see it until you go to their stat screen, nor does it stop you from wasting on a 255/100 stat. Hey but if we get full RNG manip, we would know the boosts.
Can buy as many items as you want before exiting the virtual shop. Prices range between STR at 15k and LUCKY CHARM at 21k a pop. Late game I found 200k more than enough to max STR or INT along with LUK on a single character. You're probably aware that Tarot damage except for Sun is based on the Opinion Leader's STR or INT. We need money strats then.
Money Strats
Sell Moon Rose (Sharom District) for 100k in Organa, Star Fragment and Rainbow Shell (Fort Allamoot) each for 66400, Gnomish Nugget (Sharom) for 40k. I believe other valuable items/weapons are Reputation dependent but non-World can drop Brunhild after it's used for 175950.
I learned from @Dragondarch's safety strat that visiting Abdella in Sharom after the clear gives 30k goth if you have less than that - and can be repeated.
A Fireseal item run (sells for over 300k) or 100% unique items run might manip a ticket alongside a Euros. Fort Allamoot trade sequence, please.
Obviously, Sunshines can change the time to noon for instant city liberation money but on a speedrun with 0 to 1 cities liberated a stage, that hardly seems viable as an income source.
Fortune Tarot
Fortune is only fringe useful in a normal playthrough and it is here as well. Makes enemy unit fall back as if you won the battle. Preserves your unit's movement path. Can use to rectify a bad spot like in Brootus' run where he's trapped between two units, but also to push a bad RNGed enemy away to perhaps clear the stage sooner than by not using it.
Witch Mode
Here is the thing. Witch does no damage but if she stops two enemies from attacking, you gain on time if you couldn't win before those two characters would have attacked. Deathlike2's guide has the Stun and chance to recovery chances. Hit rate is INT-based, about 40% if Witch and enemy have same INT and LUK, and enemy recovery rate uses their STR. Seems hitting the enemy doesn't help them wake up. Another outlet for Trade Ticket stat boosting after the Opinion Leader.
Rashidi and Diablo CAN BE STUNNED. I admit I boosted my Witch's INT to 255 with Trade Ticket first.
Witches require 50+ CHA and 0-65 ALI. Phantom Lord starts with one so perhaps she's worth including over Lans. Debonair and Muses recruit Valkyries, who can demote into Amazon then promote into Witch. Rauny and Norn have the ALI to turn into Witches immediately. Deneb makes a great Witch Kappa.
Persuasion Spell [CHARM]
Obtainable as a drop from a defeated enemy unit and for a cool 50k from Musplem, Organa, City of Malano and Dragon's Haven, though obviously not worth the time in the latter stage.
The Spell removes all non-leader characters from an enemy unit and adds them to your pool of characters. Apparently can miss and uses Opinion Leader's CHA. Used presumably in casual playthroughs for Zombie Dragons, Dragon Tamers and evil units in Galf's stage, I never see it in a speedrun despite coming into Temple Shalina with well over 50k goth.
Is the issue that units you recruit or face in battle have about 1 less in each stat per level up than from you raising them yourself. Necessary to prevent abusing recruiting at towns with a less than full unit. However, I think the best use is for Any% to recruit high sky Wyrm/Wyvern, which has better stats and has faster attack animation than Griffon, in Diaspola, Valley of Kastro and Ruined City. Other chances late game. More fringe use to recruit Sylphs from Rhyan Sea and Fogel and Galf's stages.
Sylph (Sylyph?) Abuse
Fairies and Pixies are the worst units in the game and recruited units have about 1 less stat point per level than having raised them yourself. That said, Sylphs have sky high AGI to go first in battle with a hit all white magic attack. Tristan Ianuki then retreat abuse is a thing but using three back row Slyphs have the same potential.
Thing is, the Fae and Imp lines, among other non-humans, lack a CHA requirement to level up. This means a level a level 22 Princess or Seraphim can recruit infinite level 20 Sylphs. Note that one Dream Crown is given at city closest to Temple Shalina and another after clearing Musplem at Chilfa. Again, Persuasion Spell potential at Rhyan Sea and Fogel and Galf's stages.
Promotion
You already have to go back to City of Malano for the Zodiac Stone. Revisit Mon Bizoh and say "Yes" for a Promotion that grants a free level up! Obvious target is the Opinion Leader to increase Tarot card damage and boost odds of surviving Quake. Other choices are Tristan to increase Ianuki damage or Yushis, who at level 22 can recruit infinite Slyphs. Princess Aisha/Norn can too.
Reputation Dumping
In the speedrunning scene, Borgnine is the most famous man in the world. Infinite Reputation drops for Deneb and Galf and an Undead Staff for Saradin for good measure. An any% World would probably grab the Staff from Omicron's base.
I wish I had played through to confirm this, but apparently you can deny Rauny and Yushis joining the rebelling repeatedly to lower Repuation exactly like Borgnine. I intent to do a 100% playthrough looking for all Reputation manip chances.
Sirius in Werewolf Form
The tool-assisted Any% World run is worth watching. Called "tas オウガバトル" on YouTube. Near-perfect Joker pulls made me angry but if you want to greatly increase entertainment value and save a small amount of time (by using the best Tarots in the game) Fool + Judgement + Holy Lord's Banish kills Sirius in Werewolf form.
Glitches
As theoretical as it gets, @Krayzar did the first testing on corrupting memory while resetting during a save. Used in Chrono Trigger on a 1 frame window to duplicate items and our saves take longer.
The Japanese TAS from above does something screwy with input on choose a Tarot from Warren's deck. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what this does but perhaps the video text explains the trick. I presume uses an "illegal button input combination" (left+right or up+down on D pad at same time). Can also see a ridiculous glitch in the Diablo fight that transforms back into the Ares boss fight to fast kill.
On PSX, I used a Sunshine before Gares as is standard strategy. Diablo made the globe turn to midnight but the stage still appeared as noon. [url=https://imgur.com/sUNjBju]I then used another Sunshine.[/ur] Damage was still at midnight time but perhaps there is a way with Sunshine and/or Moonbeam and pulling Sun/Moon to force the game out of the midnight lock and crush Diablo.
