Like Limitbreaks, Trance and Overdrives in the previous FF installments, Final Fantasy XII also has special abilities that are called Quickenings. This time these extra powerful attacks don't have their own gauge, which has to be full in order to perform them, but instead you use MP to unleash them. For each Quickening you obtain, by using License Points on the License Board, you get another MP-gauge. All in all, there are 3 Quickenings per character, so each person can get up to 3 MP-gauges.
Each Quickening you obtain is going to be more powerful than the previous one. They will consume as many MP-gauges as the number of their rank. The third and final Quickening will thus consume all of your MP. If your third MP-gauge is not full, then you won't be able to start by performing the Rank 3 Quickening.

All Quickenings deal damage to one foe. Here are Balthiers;

Rank 1. Fires of War
Detonate six orbs of light.
Attack Power: 90 Balthier has 6 fiery orbs circulating over his head while he hold his right hand in front of his face. When ready he stretches out his arm in the direction of the targetted foe and unwields a great explosion.

Rank 2. Tides of Fate:
Send forth a massive wave of water.
Attack Power: 140 Balthier starts out by drawing lines with his glowing hand in the air. Something that looks like a map appears in the space around him and water starts flowing in. He summons a giant wave by whistling, which consumes the targetted foe.

Rank 3. Element of Treachery:
Call down a giant meteor.
Attack Power 230 The space around him is full of lightblue circular forms. A golden triangle surrounded by circles appear beneath the foe. Balthier stands at one of the triangle's edges, while two holographic images of him appear at the others. The three shoot into the sky like rays of lights. Out of their meeting point a meteor appears and hits down on the targetted foe.