New enhancing spell for RDM to promote party support.

[saevel]

RDM's "melee" component only needs better / more gear options, Req fills out the "better WS" part. Moten has it on par with Vorpal and exceeding it with enough MND gear. fTP effects all hits on Req so your looking at a 6.0fTP WS (7.2 with off hand) 100% MND -20% attack WS. CDC is better but 5/5 Req is sufficient until you get an Almace.

RDM is exactly 66% "mage" and 33% "melee". Or in MMO terms its 0% tank (now) 33% healer and 66% DD (50% Magic 50% Melee). In FFXI terms its one third WHM, one third BLM and one third WAR. No matter how you cut it, the job deserves it's melee component, it's what defines Red Mage as a job. Right now "end game" is limited to Voidwatch, Abyssea and neo-Nyzule. None of those are particularly suitable for a hybrid job. There is also neo-Dynamis with ADL and PW pop set building, these events cater to a hybrid RDM. Actual ADL is a crap shoot and basically relies on PD spam with mules, PW is a bit more spamable now that zeni has been fixed.

One SE fix's (if they do) enfeebles then that opens an actual reason to bring a Hybrid RDM over another "generic DD".

[SpankWustler]

Paralyze = depends, it effects RDM the same as everyone else.
Silence = Bring echo's
Petrification = See Paralyze
Sleep = See petrification
Damage = RDM actually take less damage then full DD's do, thanks in part to MDB and Stoneskin / Phalanx / Barspells. If it's enough damage to warrant a RDM not meleeing, then it's enough to warrant everyone else standing back.
Slow = effects us the same as everyone else.

Excess Curing = You need to be in the back period if your healing enough to warrant this. If a RDM is main healing, or healing enough to be considered "main healing" then they need to stay their happy arses in the back. Tossing out emergency Cure IV's is one thing, spamming it is something entirely different.

So of all the status effects it boils down to para / petri / sleep as the only remotely dangerous ones. It effects the RDM the same as DNC / THF / BLU / WAR / SAM / MNK / ect.

This doesn't really address the "opportunity cost" of not engaging something or that somebody has to engage the monster in order to make it stop being alive.

A Warrior or Monk who doesn't engage something might as well be a decorative water fixture at that moment. You don't need to cure the 1/100 model of Splash Mountain but it's not doing anything for anybody either.

A Red Mage who doesn't engage something is comparable to a relatively far more useful water fixture. Like a toilet with a built-in bidet or something. The Red Bidet still has access to it's full array of spells, and in fact, can use them better in this state by taking advantage of Magian staves. Also, it can squirt water that is always too hot or too cold but never just right.

Meleeing stuff on mage jobs definitely has value, to the extent that I consider making a melee-friendly macro set for my White Mage at least every other month and then remember I'm at 75/80 inventory already, but it's not the same thing as hitting something on a job that only has value when it's hitting something.

[Neisan_Quetz]

Not to mention support jobs can you know heal/support the frontline to keep them alive. Having your support get silenced/para'd/Petrified/Slept constantly is typically just asking to invite disaster.

And if we're 1/3 Blm as you claim can we get native Stun? Cause that would be totally nice. Doesn't even break the 'no Aoe Spells not diaga' rule.

[ManaKing]

I would love some native stun. A better debuff than enfeebles because it can actually stop a spell or TP move.

[Duelle]

I would love some native stun. A better debuff than enfeebles because it can actually stop a spell or TP move.

I'm more in favor of Flash. That's a spell we used to have.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

I'm more in favor of Flash. That's a spell we used to have.

If we got Flash we should also get Stun, as they are the two spells for PLD and DRK.

[cidbahamut]

I mostly agree with your position, there is a phrase for it "melee on fodder, mage on boss" which is all the "Pro Melee" RDMs want.

This contradicts your previous stance of it being perfectly fine to go RDM/DRK and wail on Voidwatch bosses with your Almace, so you'll forgive me if I find this statement to be disingenuous.

[tyrantsyn]

Why should any Dev ever take anything seriously coming out of any RDM thread. No suggestion are ever overwhelming like by the community. Most thread's never seeing even double digit's on the like column's for idea's. And even more so, are always derail by the same few ppl about rdm melee. That end up spewing the same crap they been spewing since day 1. Which to be honest seems to be the only thing that keeps ppl posting in them anyways. My case and point is this thread, which started off as a new spell idea has pretty much has become the same crap we have in 20 other thread's. Nothing on topic and basically has become a your wrong thread, look what they've done to my favorite job, "why they no listen to me"

SE adjusting enfeebling magic and the verdict is still out on that one. So the focus should be falling to enhancing magic til we get some more input on the adjustments. If RDM melee is your thing, like I said before go make a thread about it. And be passionate about it there. And leave these other thread's to die if no one can get on board with them.

[cidbahamut]

Alternatively we could all just report melee posts for being off-topic. I'm pretty sure that's covered under most standard forum rules these days. I think I'll start doing that, because it's not like we don't have several dozen threads devoted to discussing Red Mage melee already.

Edit: Yup, it's actually the first thing listed in the forum rules: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/th...ral-Discussion!

[Duelle]

Why should any Dev ever take anything seriously coming out of any RDM thread. No suggestion are ever overwhelming like by the community. Most thread's never seeing even double digit's on the like column's for idea's.

That's because instead of allowing both camps to play their way, the devs lean towards one and the other is neglected. When the other is neglected, it doesn't play up to par in party play (AKA the very thing FFXI was designed around). Then it snowballs and creates things like lolmelee and refreshbot.

And even more so, are always derail by the same few ppl about rdm melee.

Except that when we make melee threads, it's somehow alright to have the same trolls and naysayers invade our threads and tell us to shut up and embrace party support. Goes with that saying about people in glass houses and all.