Magic and abilities are the various techniques used in the Dragon Quest series. Performing magic often comes at the price of MP, while abilities usually are free to use, though there are exceptions. Almost all player characters and bosses can wield spells and skills, but most basic monsters cannot. Spells are often among the most powerful attacks in a game, and smart use of spells that induce positive and negative status effects is often key to defeating some of the more powerful enemies barring power leveling.