"Package" spells: Speedy delivery at a bargain price.

[Rustic]

Yeah, I know. Posting ideas in a Red Mage forum, the doom of anyone noticing. But, what the heck. Let's see how you like these.

Weaken: RDM L30, L56 (Weaken II), L88 Merit (Weaken III). 22/66/100 MP, casting time 1.5/1.5/2 sec, recast 5/5/7 sec, duration 60 seconds/120 seconds/30 seconds + 15 seconds per merit (max 90 seconds). Darkness element, Enfeebling-based spell. This spell is unresistable (save by effects like Magic Shield).

Applies Attack Down and Defense Down to target, going from 5.27%-9.85% for Weaken (as Enfeeblement skill increases), 10.35%-14.06% Weaken II, 15.03%-18.94% Weaken III.

Weaken overwrites Dia/Bio and is overwritten by Dia/Bio II or III, Weaken II is overwrites Dia I-II/Bio I-II overwritten by Dia III/Bio III, Weaken III overwrites Dia I-III/Bio I-III and not overwritten at all.

Voila, all the enfeeblement effects (without the DoT) of Dia and Bio in a single spell, that can be boosted with high enfeebling skills instead (and not break crowd control!). /RDM gets Weaken I, but II and III are RDM only.

Baffle: RDM L51, 27 MP, casting time 3 seconds, recast 10 seconds. Light element, Enfeebling-based spell. Smites a target with multiple status effects.

Applies the effects of Paralyze, Slow, and Silence in a single casting. Higher enfeebling skill enhances the time Baffle "sticks" to the target. If target is immune to one or more of the effects, Baffle will still inflict any status effect the target can have inflicted.

Hex: RDM L53, 40 MP, casting time 1.5 second, recast 60 seconds. Dark element, Enfeebling-based spell. Makes a target miserable with multiple status effects.

Applies the effects of Blind, weight (as per Gravity), and dispels one beneficial effect on the target. Higher enfeebling skill enhances the time Hex "sticks" to the target. If target is immune to one or more of the effects, Hex will still inflict any status effect the target can have inflicted.

Blight: RDM L98 Merit spell, 110 MP, casting time 3 seconds, recast 20 seconds. Earth element, Enfeebling-based spell. Encases the target in a elemental prison of mud and stone that cripples the target with multiple powerful status effects.

Applies effects as per the merited spells of Slow II, Blind II, and Paralyze II in a single casting. Merits for the L75 versions of these spells will improve the effects of Blight, while additional merits for Blight will increase magic accuracy (for all effects, regardless of previous merits) and potency (up to the equivalent of the 5x merited L75 spell). If target is immune to one or more of the effects, Blight will still inflict any status effect the target can have inflicted.

[Lilia]

the doom of anyone noticing...hm...

good ideas, good spells~ and alltime SE think is inspiration for other jobs

[Mageoholic]

Great now we know the first merits for Geomancer..

[Demon6324236]

L88 Merit

NO!!!!!!!! No more meritable spells!

[Rustic]

NO!!!!!!!! No more meritable spells!

This way, no having to hunt down some obscure/expensive/PITA to get scroll.

[Demon6324236]

I rather spend 100 Mil to get my 5 new spells, instead of only being able to merit 2 of them to a useful level, and never have real access to the other 3.

[ManaKing]

I like your Weaken. Dia and Bio stacking would be fantastic. If you want to be a boss, you should throw Gravity's Evasion down in there to without the -Movement Speed.

I like the idea of the others, because we already have access to the individual spells, should you need them. But these would probably get shot down for the same reason I would want them, Saboteur.

[Rustic]

I like your Weaken. Dia and Bio stacking would be fantastic. If you want to be a boss, you should throw Gravity's Evasion down in there to without the -Movement Speed.

I was tempted to, but Dia and Bio are essentially irresistable spells and adding in a weight effect would have been a really big upgrade. That's why it's in there with Hex instead. Weaken gives you ATK/DEF down, Hex gives you Accuracy/Evasion Down (and burns away a beneficial buff for good measure). Being able to combine the debuffs without having to deal with the DoT effect was my big thought on Weaken, plus it allowed for the spell to scale purely on Enfeeblement skill rather than being a static amount of debuffing. Sometimes you want DoT damage, sometimes you want something you can soften up a bit more instead of dealing damage.

I like the idea of the others, because we already have access to the individual spells, should you need them. But these would probably get shot down for the same reason I would want them, Saboteur.

And actually, that's part of the reason they're there. It lets an RDM unload one specifically nasty cluster of debuffs on a target with Baffle, Hex, or later Blight. Given, it's once every five minutes. Oh, darn. The master of enfeebling magics being able to lay down an accurate mix of modest maledictions at L83- or he can fire up the more powerful L75 versions at that point, since he's likely got at least two of the biggies (like Slow II/Paralyze II) going on the target instead.

Blight + Saboteur was definitely intended in my book. A top-level Red Mage being able to lay down the nastiest of debuffs with wicked accuracy every five minutes? Absolutely. It also helps with one of the major old-school complaints for RDM's- having to constantly toss spells and the macroing that goes with it. Given, we don't have to pack six zillion elemental staves now with Iridal/Chatoyant around, but this also means that an RDM can focus on fewer elemental boosters in inventory- light and dark for most debuff work early on using Baffle/Hex, and earth for Blight at 98 when enfeebling, plus whatever you're using for a nuking set. Instead of having to deal with a Slow + Paralyze + Silence macro, you have Baffle. Blind (lol) + Gravity + Dispel? Just a macro for Hex needed. Top-level RDM? Same deal with Blight.

Fewer spells needed cast also means the RDM gets more breathing room to do other things. If you can lay down a full barrage of debuffs in three less expensive casts (Weaken, Baffle, Hex) rather than than five-seven more pricy casts (Dia or Bio, Slow, Paralyze, Blind, Gravity + Silence or Dispel optional as needed) you've given the RDM time and MP to do other stuff. You want to nuke? More breathing room to toss a damage spell in. Need to buff/heal? Same deal. That goes double for Blight, which lets an RDM who's likely taking on events or HNM fights get his debuffs in faster so he can play utility catcher/crowd control/buffer/backup healer/insert role #525 zillion here with less stress and strain.

I'm an oldschool RDM. Even lobbing spells around a party could be mentally draining for me the player trying to juggle all the roles I'd be playing at once, never mind old-style Dynamis. Nowadays the big challenges are Abyssea and new Salvage, Legion, whatever Adoulin has to offer- but the RDM was built literally on it's merits to be an enfeebling master. Baffle/Hex/Blight don't give the RDM more potent maximum effects, but do allow them to deliver them cheaper and more of them to a higher level of accuracy. Weaken does beef up our ATK/DEF down effects, but not to truly unholy levels (at capped maximum, Weaken III would be about 5% more potent than Dia III or Bio III). It makes the RDM job less of a frantic juggle and opens more precious seconds towards doing the other stuff that a jack-of-all-trades can be useful for.

If the devs fear giving us much more potent enfeeblement spells, OK. Let us cast them with more grace and nimbleness than other jobs instead. We're the stylish mages, after all.