Overall fixes to RDM

[Covenant]

The fact that you can sub most of your suggestions should tell you something. But, your asking for a native ability which eliminates the need for "sub job locking".

I'm remind if the game balance SE established between Redmages and whitemages from day one. Let's take Protect/Protectra and shell/shellra. Both of these spells offer exactlty the same buff I believe, with mp efficiency going to the -ra. How was this balanced? The -ra types should have either been balanced by either lower duration and/or less potency. This wouldn't matter since WHM still have access to individual protect and shell as with RDM.
This same SE "balance" continued with the bar-type spells both elemental and status. Same potency and durations. Followed lastly by the gain/boost spells. Being a RDM has a barely negiliable potency over a WHM that can party buff with one spell.
In any of the cases shouldnt the fact that redmages are locked into solo buffs have been given greater potency and/or greater duration(this voided with composure)? I don't know the number difference both isn't the gain/boost ration something like 7 to 5 or 6?

As far as adding melee capabilities...this is the suggestion for every job. Why are mages asking for even more melee power? Because melee doesn't cost MP is why....I think. It's cheaper Mp-wise to melee than worry about casting...even if 2 nukes can out damage all the melee damage of redmage. If you really want to be a melee RDM I suggest going /DRK. You'll have access to not only strong attacks with job traits, but you have all the absorb spells including absorb ACC AND absorb TP. Not to mention souleater AND vorpal blade. With a good absorb TP, redmages can save themselves from swinging roughly 6-10 times. In fact, they can stay back more often this way and run in to do a vorpal blade every so often after absorbing DEX and STR.
For this reason alone, SE shouldn't ever touch a redmages melee. If not dark, there other options like /THF, /nin, and /warrior(guess what a RDM now gets fencer with this job...stop complaining). Heck, there even /paladin if you want a shield bash.

[Supersun]

Red Mages Dark skill is too low to actually land abosrb TP on anything that's relevant without a full set of Dark magic gear and even then it's just useful for exp.

[cidbahamut]

Red Mages Dark skill is too low to actually land abosrb TP on anything that's relevant without a full set of Dark magic gear and even then it's just useful for exp.

So the question becomes: Why don't you have a set of dark magic gear?

[SNK]

If you really want to be a melee RDM I suggest going /DRK.

Stopped reading after that....