[dev1115] Job Adjustments: Red Mage

[Llana_Virren]

Ok, let's see if I can cut down to some core issues....

-BLMs learn stronger nukes past level 75.

So does RDM. I wasn't aware we had access to Thunder IV when the level cap was 75?

-Our best enfeebles are our merit spells.

I would argue that our best enfeebles are Silence and Gravity, which aren't merit spells. Of course, by saying this, I would have to say that our merit spells lack in accuracy, potency and relevance.

-.../RDM convert and refresh are full strength.

You win on this one... preferably reduced to 50% conversion.
However, /rdm Refresh should be full potency. /whm Regens and Haste are full potency, too. Don't see the problem there....

-We learn Cure before SCH and have naturally higher healing skill but don't get Cure V; SCH gets Regen V though. So RDM loses out in healing compared to both WHM and SCH.

Scholar is not a mage, sorta. Scholar is simply a "student of magic" rather than a "magely mage", which is why the have access to more powerful BASIC spells, but lack a lot of native spells (Haste, Refresh, so on). Additionally, SCH has less MP and less MP Restoration (Convert, Conserve MP, etc) and require subjob consideration.

-WHM is the 'healing specialist', BLM is the nuking specialist and RDM is the "healing and enhancing specialist". So why does the healing specialist get AoE enhancing as well as AoE curing and why does the nuking specialist get AoE enfeebling in addition to AoE nuking? Shouldn't the enfeebling/enhancing specialist get the AoE enhancing/enfeebling? What good does having the highest skill for potent bar-spells and gain-spells if it only affects the RDM itself?

RDM is not, and never has been, a "specialist" of anything. We have access to -some- White Magic, -some- Black Magic, and -some- Combat Equipment. If you really aren't careful, they could take Enspells, Refresh and Gravity away from us, since "true" RDMs of the past didn't have any "RDM only" spells.

However, I will agree that Poisonga, Sleepga, Paralyzega, Silencega, Slowga, Bioga, Gravija (needs to be added), Blindga and Bindga need to be accessible to RDM. Not because "we are masters of [enter school of magic here], but because SE gave the FFXI version of RDM a "A+ skill" in Enfeebling Magic.

-Gravity II is our last enfeebling spell. 95% of NMs are immune to it. Even if they weren't nobody kites things anymore and the -40 evasion is minor at best especially with the gear melees wear now, feint, bards and corsairs. BLMs get Meteor which can do 60-80k damage. WHMs get a super buffed Raise spell that has shorter weakened status and bestows Reraise III on the target, SMN gets Odin and Alexander which are both extremely useful, SCH has Regen Vs which can regen up to 80+/tick and all RDM gets are Gain-Stat spells which are all useless except Gain-INT/Gain-MND but only affect us(for the enfeebles which will never land or loltier4 nukes which SCH gets Ebuillence for or BLM has Tier V nukes). All RDM gets is freaking Gravity II. Absolutely worthless. Where's Haste II? Stoneskin II? Dia IV?

No job has Haste II, so no one needs it. Same to Stoneskin. Dia IV? Take Dia III out of the merit categories before you start asking for a higher tier.

And nice plug in for Arise. Problem is no one's gotten the spell yet... so it's a little too early to be complaining about something that you haven't even seen used yet.

Oh, and hear you mentioned that Gravity is worseless. We'll get back to that in a second.

1) Make Blind II, Paralyze II, Slow II, Phalanx II, Dia III into scrolls sold at an NPC.

No. Stop giving spells to NPCs. Any Spell beyond Lv.80 should be quested and hard-as-hell to acquire.

2) Turn those merits into 'mastery traits' which increases potency/cast/recast/accuracy of Dia/Blind/Slow/Paralyze/Phalanx. Or make traits that augment those spells.

Blind Mastery- In addition to lower accuracy, target's evasion will be lowered.
Reduced Evasion -5 per merit.

Paralyze Mastery- In addition to paralyzing, target's magic evasion will be lowered.
Reduced Magic Evasion -5 per merit

Dia Mastery- In addition to lowered defense, target's magic defense will be lowered.
Reduced Magic Defense -2 per merit.

Phalanx Mastery- In addition to reducing damage, target may occasionally absorb damage.
Chance of absorbing +1% per merit

Slow Mastery- In addition to slow, target's attack will be lowered.
Reduced evasion -5 per merit.

Bio Mastery- In addition to bio, target's magic attack will be reduced.
Reduced Magic Attack -5 per merit.

1. So... Gravity. You think gravity's -40 Evasion is pointless, but you want to add a possible -20 evasion to Blind II... assuming you can land Blind II in the first place, and assuming you cap it, and assuming that -40 and -20 actually add up to -60EVA after formula check....

So is "Evasion Down" pointless or not?

2. All your other Masteries are, let's put this nicely. "Stupid". Here's why:

a. You are applying a "guaranteed" potency (ex. "Reduced Magic Evasion -5 per mert). This is WHY all the NMs we face have flat out immunities... a scaled potency factor is the only modification that would encourage allowing us to have more/additional spells/effects.

b. We have a D skill in Dark Magic, but you want us to have "Bio Mastery"? Saboteur was the compromise for the "mastery" and "proficiency" argument, so I doubt a whole LINE of "Mastery" traits will get anyone's fair shake. Truth be told, other jobs allow these additional effects (other EVA down, DEF down, Absorb effects)... we shouldn't be able to do EVERYONE'S job as good as they can. Or else you'll be on the other side of the fence and they'll complain that RDM/ is more powerful than XXX job! And they'd be right.

c. Slow Mastery... Attack will be lowered? Why not just cast Slow II and Bio II/III? Or are you saying that you want to be able to reduce a target's attack speed by 50% and DEF by 50%? Yeah, that wouldn't be unbalanced at all.

Bam. This allows us to get stronger spells than our level 75 spells while still having merits pertaining to those spells so we can start getting things like Dia IV, Bio IV, Slow III, Paralyze III, Phalanx III etc. SCH gets Regen V and WHM gets Cure VI, BLM gets TierV nukes, why are RDM stuck on Tier II spells? We need our own line of potent spells!!

There are "some" spells that I'd love to have... but right now it is more important for us to be able to use our -current- spell list effectively before we had more straw and hay to the "Scarecrow in a Chapeau."