Final Fantasy Tactics Straight Character Challenge
Well, this challenge was created by MunkiBleedsGreen on GameFAQs for players of Final Fantasy Tactics.
The whole theory behind this is to play through the game using only one class, with level restrictions so you can't be level 99 in the first chapter.

What the rules say:
You can use 5 characters, but they must all be set to the same job class. They must get to that class before Dorter Trade City, and stay in that class for the entire game. For instance: if you are doing a Knight SCC, you must get 5 Knights before Dorter, leave them as Knights for the entire game, and use no abilities other than knight abilities.
You cannot use an ability unless you are that class. So no phoenix down for time mages, etc.
No special characters are allowed.
These are the "level caps"- Chapter 1:20, Chapter 2: 35, Chapter 3: 50, Chapter 4 (pre-Murond Death City): 70
Guest characters (like Delita) can be anything.
If a mediator SCC, you cannot recruit monsters. You can invite humans for the battle, then take their equipment and boot them.
Special characters (*cough Orlandu*) can be stripped and booted.
In Chapter 4, you may use a full party of special characters in random battles. This comes in handy with Bards and their Bloody Strings in case of undead. You cannot mix parties, use special characters in "red dot" battles, or use them in the Deep Dungeon.
You can only alter Brave or Faith if that comes from your class. Mediators can alter them, Ramza can alter them in a Squire SCC (if using Ramza's special moves), Dancers can raise brave (brave UP), and Bards can (but don't want to) raise faith (faith UP). GameShark rules:
1. You can make Ramza a Dancer instead of a Bard in the Dancer SCC.
2. You can use the GameShark to open up classes (such as mime) right away.
3. You can use codes that make it more difficult, such as "hard mode" codes.
4. You can use the GameShark for classes that cannot normally be done, such as Ultima Demons or even a party of monsters.

Classes in a nutshell


Squire: The very definition of mediocrity. Some people use ramza's special abilities and equipments, some don't. It's up to the SCCer.
Chemist: A basic class. Very defensive. Low offense power. But hey! They have range 8 guns. That's key there.
Knight: Possibly the most useless skillset. You'll be using "Attack" more in this SCC than any save mime. Evasion makes it ultra-hard in the endgame. You will loathe shielded enemies.
Archer: Well, you've probably grown to loathe enemy archers, with their high-ground advantage. Time to turn the tables? Well, no. You don't usually get the high ground. Of course, evasion is no problem... Concentrate on just all out assaults.
Wizard: A fun, easy SCC. One word describes it. Smite. There are maybe 4 problem battles in the whole game. For some, that number drops to 2. Rationing MP will come as an inherent skill in the endgame.
Priest: These people rely on having 56 MP left. If not, they are weak as everything. Chapter 1 will be murder. Once past it, clear sailing! (Well, until the Sluice and Altima...)
Monk: Apparently a lot of people try to start with these. It must have something to do with that monkey phenomenon sweeping the net. Just make sure to use high brave people.
Thief: Well, this is a ... varied ... skillset, but no real power. Knives are just pathetic. Steal Heart is around 60% all game long. (And only work on about half of all enemies, plus monsters.) Move+2 plus their innate 4 does help though. They have high speed on top of that. Just a mixed bag.
Time Mage: Now this is a fun thing to do, once past Dorter and Sand Rat Cellar. Demi rules assassination battles. It is too funny seeing this enemy *coughWeigrafcough* taunt you and die in one round from 4 "Revenge with Dark-Evil spell!" moves. And later on, in mid-chapter 2, you get the MP for Meteor... but that move, however overly dominating it is when you get it, runs your MP down too quickly, making the Sluice a hard fight.
Summoner: Well, this looks like a fun class. Golem to block attacks, going after the enemies to make it even easier to nuke them, ultra-powerful attacks, a decent support, and a reaction that may just win a battle for you. But until you get that JP-costly support, you'll be lucky to cast 2 summons a fight.
Geomancer: A class that's vastly underrated. A great support, a decent skillset (Carve Model will become your favorite) and good equipment combinations. Ice Brands+Ice Shields=healing. Demon Fire or Lava Ball + Flame Shields = healing. Just make sure to remove Counter Flood when you're going to use the healing setups.
Lancer: Jump is powerful. Unless it's without a spear. Then it's just above-average. I recommend learning Jump 3 (level and vertical) then saving for Jump 8.
Oracle: A mixed bag. If you're not a lucky person, pass on this. The sticks are good though. Defense UP helps in melee combat... but... anyone would get annoyed at missing 3 straight 85% chances, right?
Mediator: An off-the-wall class. Early game is hard, but threaten will make it funny. Seeing 5 humans in stupid-looking pink robes fighting 6-8 chickens can lighten anyone's day.
Ninja: A very speedy class. Low HP, but powerful attacks and range are their strengths. Two swords are going to be your favorite thing to use, especially against a certain blade-grasping ultra-samurai. The second most expensive class in the game. Buying 2 weapons and spares to throw is costly until shurikens appear. Until ninja swords appear, use fists. And abandon comes in handy in random battles. They can't kill ya if they can't hit ya.
Samurai: The most costly class. Their habit of breaking katanas 15% of the time (except when it will screw you over, when it's 100% of the time) will make the weapon shop owner rich. Range is their key, but think about this: you can't get katanas until halfway through chapter 2. Blade Grasp and Two Hands will cost you a ton of JP, and that's what you start with.
Bard: An unusual class. You have move+3, which gives a ton of range, you get harps later, and Battle Song helps with your quadratic fist damage. Speed Song will be helpful. Life Song will be the only way to heal, but it's not all that bad. Just remember that physical attacks do 1.5 times the damage to you while singing.
Dancer: If you have a GameShark, make Ramza a Dancer. Otherwise, he becomes a Bard. Just run around using Wiznaibus. Fly makes some battles ridiculously laughable. Gafgarion at Lionel will be the funniest battle in the SCC.
Mime: Well, this is interesting, as they don't even get to mime. Unless there are guests. So choose guest job wisely. Funny, isn't it? Mimes don't let Mimes mime other Mimes. It would be an endless cycle. They have innate Martial Arts and innate Concentrate, so the shield problem is no more. Think of them as Monks with Concentrate and no abilities. Or equipments for that matter.
Calculator: Well, the "True" calculators can't use spells. (CT and 5 are fine, but Fire3 is a Wizard skill, not a Calculator skill.) So you're relying on those stupid fists until sticks and books become available. Of course, the enemies have a way of killing themselves... Damage Split. Move-Get EXP makes leveling a little less bothersome. Not by much, though. This is the only SCC to not be completed. 2 brave souls are attempting this- UltimaterializerX and Trampoline. Wish them luck, they will need it.
Crystal Calcs: The other way of doing Calculators. This has been done. Basically, you can nab abilities out of crystals, but you cannot learn them as Wizards, Time Mages, etc.

General Strategies


One single point of Speed or PA can really make or break a battle.
Most normal classes gain speed at the following levels: 18, 35, 52, 69.
Mimes, Priests, Thieves, Monk gain speed at the following levels: 8, 23, 40, 57, 62.
Ninjas gain a speed point every 11 levels or so: 12, 23, 34, 45, 56, 67 ... of course, with ninjas, and even the aforementioned classes, it can vary by a level or two depending on what level they attained that class at. That's why for the more complex classes, like Mime (especially Mime), it's best to GameShark them into that class for "True" Stats. Why mime? Mimes have the best stat growth of any class. For Bards, however, you're actually better off doing it the slow way, as they have the worst growth.
Just remember the level cap when leveling up.

If your class doesn't use magic, get low faith units from the Soldier Office.
Almost every class will want high brave units from the Soldier Office. The only ones that might not care are... well... mages with pointless reaction abilities. But there's no drawback to high brave, and you never know... Absorb Used MP may just come in handy!
The only classes that use faith are: Wizard, Priest, Oracle, Time Mage, Summoner, SpellCalcs. Mediators and Chemists will want high faith for the spell guns.
Note however, that Ramza always comes with high faith.

In any SCC, it's better to have one dead enemy than 2 half-HP enemies. Why? If there's one dead, the other one will attack. If both are alive, they both attack. This won't make much difference with 2 people, but trying to kill 6-8 people at once is not smart.
Dorter Trade City: Always go for that archer first.
Sand Rat Cellar: Well, cross-panel spells help here. Otherwise, just gang up on one at a time. Thieves' Fort: Just kill things for 2 turns, then get Miluda.
Lenalia: Follow a similar strategy.
Zirekile Falls: Remove Gafgarion's equipments and make him a Time Mage or Priest. If you don't kill him, Agrias usually will.
Buy Rubber Boots and Defense Rings before you enter Lionel Castle. Lionel Castle: Give the group of 4 Rubber Boots. Just kill the summoner, then any elementalists (carve model can hurt you here), then anyone with a half decent secondary, then go through the gate when possible. A few classes can make this battle funny- Bards, Dancers, and Time Mages.
Queklain: Mages have this easy, the rest don't. Just swarm him. Defense Rings are key. No Death Sentence. Just watch out for Bio2 or Bio3.
Goland Coal City: This depends on whether Olan uses Galaxy Stop or acts like a moron. Just kill those Mithril Gun Chemists first. Watch out for Steal Heart though.
Before you enter Orbonne, buy Germinas Boots and Chameleon Robes (if you can wear them). Orbonne: Fighting Izlude: Germinas Boots and Swarming are key here.
Fighting Weigraf: Chameleon Robes on all but one decoy. Line up like this. X is you, D is decoy, ~ are space fillers.
XXX
~X~
~~D
He will attack D, then he'll be in range for a beatdown.
If you can't wear Chameleon Robes, then you'll just have to minimize the pain and get him.
Roof of Riovanes Castle: Just strip 2 people of all but their weapons and accesories. Put them on the side of the PBF with the arrow. Put 2 more on the other side. Do not make Ramza a decoy.
A lot of Chapter 4's hard battles are class-specific, so I'll put those in those classes.
Orbonne - Rofel: Really simple. You just trick him into using Yin Yang Magic. Here's how:
~~~~X
XXXX~
And now you just smite him. He has both Protect and Defense UP, so it's hard to beat him with fighters.


The rest of the General Battle Strategies are found in that class's section. The bolded classes are the ones I (ChocoCid) have done.

Squire


Funny names
Ramza: Uber. This is particularly humorous when using his special skills. Why? It says "Uber" then "Squire".
Others: Rookie, Amateur, Loser, etc...

Well, personally, I'd use Ramza's special abilities and equips, as that always comes on his squire class. Remember, classes that use both PA and MA also benefit from Ramza's androgynous stats, so why can't Squires benefit from his extra abilities? (I'm referring to Geomancers, Samurai, and Bards in particular.)
Well, they do OK in the early game. Throw stone is range (that costs only 90 JP), and can be used to knock enemies off cliffs. Think of that pesky archer at dorter. Dash can be used to knock enemies off cliffs (or switches at a certain Sluice), it has 100% hit rate, and ignores evasion and reactions. Accumulate is key to this SCC though. It should be noted that Ramza can be healed and heal the others only if using special abilities. Ice Brand+Ice Shield and Wish will be indispensable. Heck, he even gets Ultima! (Learn this "blue mage style" at any battle with Celia and Lede in chapter 4 (not the rooftop) or Ultima Demons (not Archaic Demons) in chapter 4. You may even be able to learn it at the Altima fight, but that does no good. They do get innate move 5 (4 and move+1), Counter Tackle (better than nothing) and Defend... which only sees use... maybe never. I have heard of it helping with mantles or using Ramza's special shield equip. Other than that, their C-EV is too low to matter.
These follow typical strategies for most battles. Accumulate rather than wait in most cases.

Chemist


Funny Names
Pharmacist, Item Boy, Druggist, Hobo (for male), Midwife (for female)
This may just be the easiest class in all of Tactics. They get to heal, revive, have arguable one of the best reaction abilities in the game, in chapter 2 on they get 8 range weapons, they can move-find rare items... so where's the challenge? You start with knives, and guns never get stronger. They always stay the same power - 36 for Romanda Guns, 64 for Mithril Guns, and 256 for the Stone Guns (which you shouldn't get as they petrify you), and a set random damage for magic Guns. So you're stuck with 36 damage moves, even in early chapter 3, then 64 until after Zalera, then you can try getting enemies to drop treasure chests (50%) in a rare battle (5%) that happen to have the weapon slot (25%). Multiply those out and you get... (0.5*0.05*0.25)=5/8 of one percent, or 0.625%. Not very good odds. Or you can wait until the Deep Dungeon and move-find a couple, but there aren't many. And with chemists, getting the magical guns are overkill. So you have a ridiculously hard time dealing damage regardless. So with this in mind, the "Fast" battles are the hard ones. Chemists are notorious for having a ridiculously hard fight at Limberry against Elmdor. Now for the strategies.
Lenalia Plateau, Fovoham Plains, Fort Zeakden, and Limberry against Elmdor are common complaints from Chemist SCCers.
Lenalia: Well, depending on your Delita setup, this may be murder on wheels. If you have Summoner Delita, you will have an easy time. Otherwise, he dies first round. Just play it cautious and concentrate on getting one enemy at a time. Get the mages first, unless the Knights force you to get them. Heal above all.
Fovoham: Hang back and let them come to you, but spread out. Force him to rely on Crush Punch rather than Stasis Sword. Get Boko first.
Ft.Zeakden: Hide behind the building, and then try to get the lone Knight to stop him from attacking the flank. Once that's accomplished, go back behind the building and charge Algus.
Limberry at Elmdor: Speed 8 lets you redirect at least one Ultima. Do so, then just rely on your Mithril Guns.

Knight


Funny Names
Arthur, Cid, Cyan, Cecil, Steiner...
This is one of the harder SCCs... Just rely on your ridiculous attack power and defense (HP) power. Their high evasion (Weapon Guard, Shield, Mantle) is a benefit in the endgame. They have 3 move, which doesn't help at all. Their support abilities are redundant. This is a very strategic SCC. Of course, they do have ice healing and one Excalibur in the endgame. They have Weapon Break, so abuse it on a certain Dark Knight. Speed Break can really cripple an enemy like Adramelk. When leveling, just break their equipments, then break speed, then power, then MA, then just flat out defeat them only when you've gotten all their stats down to one. Monsters have high MA to abuse doing this, even though they don't use it often.

Archer


Funny Names
Ramza: Robin Hood
Others: Little John, Legolas, Bard the Bowman, DeathFromAbove, etc...
Archers have probably been used by everyone. They've probably been mocked by everyone. Their low attack power makes them easy targets for said mocking. Of course, Charge can, with a little timing, make up for it. Their 5 range (sometimes more, sometimes less) can set them up badly. Just remember, 5 archers are suprisingly potent, especially when they have the high ground. If you have the low ground, you might want crossbows, as their range doesn't drop when the terrain changes. Of course, it doesn't increase either. Concentrate eliminates any evasion problems that come from the enemy, Speed Save can save you every now and then, and Arrow Guard gets rid of their archer threat. Just beware Zalmo!

Wizard
Funny Names
Ramza: Merlin
Others: Lulu, Rydia, Black Mage-ess, Evil Sorceress
I've done this one, so I'm putting it in a link. Let's just say that they are in the running for the easiest.

Priest
Funny Names
Ramza: Zalmo (Why not?)
Others: Yuna, Porom, Dagger, Eiko
Now why the heck are Priests fighting? Shouldn't they be praying? Anyway, another mage class, another link.

Monk


Funny Names
Yang, Black Belt (Beoulve), Lei Fei, Liu Kang, Zell Dincht...

Thief


Funny Names
Ramza: TrsHunt Locke (abbreviated of Treasure Hunter Locke)
Males: Zidane, Thief
Females: Heart Hoarder, etc... Ok, I can't think of any good ones... sorry. 19/20 isn't that bad.
An oddball class. They get Steal Heart, which is where the uncertainty lies. More on this later. They get Steal EXP, Move+2, *zoom*, stealing, and poaching. On the flip side, they lack HP, lack PA, lack a decent attack, lack range, risky moves, lack a decent reaction (more on this later), and have gender problems.
Steal Heart: There are more male enemies, leading some to use females. Unfortunately, females have lower PA and HP. Thus, you are relying even more on randomness. 50+MA is never a good chance of success. Of course, in the very end of the game, you want 4 females for their Chantages. You poach Porkies in the Deep Dungeon (END)for these.
Reaction: Caution, when successful, gives you "Defend" until your next turn. So? You only have C-EV to work with. That gives them 50% from the front, 100% elsewhere. Pass.
Catch: Useful against Ninjas. Where do they first appear? Yardow Fort City, in late Chapter 3. Pass until then.
Gilgame Heart: Are you kidding me? Pass, permanently. This should be the last thing you learn.
Movement: They start with 4, which is good. They get 2 more, which is even better. Basically, you have 7 with the battle boots, then you drop to 6 when the good stuff appears later. Can you say "range" as fast as I can? Unfortunately, their attacks lack range, and they lack power. Bait and Swarm is key.
Swordskillers: Steal Weapon. The first of note is Weigraf at Fovoham Plains. You should have Steal Weapon by here. Of course, Boco cannot be charmed, so watch it!

Time Mage


Funny Names
Ramza: Time Master Others: Clockworker, Demi, Demi2, Conehead...
Well, since I've done this one, detailed strategy is in the link.

Summoner


Funny Names
Ramza: Spikehead
Others: Rydia, Yuna, Dagger, Eiko...
Well, this looks like an easy one, doesn't it? They get the ridiculously wide ranged summons, Half of MP, powerful summons, Golem, Moogle, Fairy, Odin, Lich, Bahamut, etc... of course, without Half of MP, you will get one summon per character off, maybe two. They are ridiculously slow, which is good in chapter one (5 speed means they go first), but bad past chapter 2. Their reaction can come in handy every now and then, but it's about pointless in terms of the SCC. If you're out of MP, you're screwed. Beating yourself to critical for MP restore won't help. Why? Critical people are targeted first by the enemies.
Golem really helps in a lot of battles. Early on, you're relying on Shiva, Ifrit, and Ramuh. Probably Shiva. (Ice is great against Goblins and in the Blizzard at Ft. Zeakden). Moogle will heal a decent amount, but you'll be wanting more. So you'll learn Fairy. That doesn't do much more. Oh well, HP doesn't matter if you kill them before they can even reach you. Beware ninjas though, they will be your bane once this is over. Zodiac Demons won't have any difficulty at all. Lich is like Demi2, only better. It has a wider range, and with Half of MP, it'll probably be less. Like Wizards, you'll be good with the CT list when finished with this.

Part 2