How about an Enfeebling Magic thread?

[Economizer]

I can't say I find the prospect of a Haste, Refresh, Phalanx, Regen, Reraise, Spikes, Gain, Barelement, Barstatus, Aquaveil, Blink, and Stoneskin cycle appealing without vastly significant duration boosts. I'm talking like a half hour for everything that isn't consumed in some way like Stoneskin or Blink. And this doesn't even account for new stuff that may come about if pimping the defensive angle of enfeebling.

Assuming 3x duration like Composure gives (which is the target) you'd only be casting Gain spells every 15 minutes, like other five minute buffs. Three minute buffs like Phalanx would last about 9 minutes.

Casting Stoneskin, Blink, and Aquaviel on others is a pretty big waste of time in my opinion.

Since Phalanx is already something you can merit to cast on others, or sub Scholar to AOE, it isn't really a new buff to cycle. You'd only really be gaining Spikes and Gain spells. While Gain spells would be another cycle, you'd only really have to cast the spikes spell on the tank, which wouldn't be too bad at a nine minute duration.

I know I forgot to mention enspells, but I think that along with Temper, they should remain self-cast only regardless.

Regardless, you'll get no argument from me about converting merit spells to scroll learned.

I was actually talking about eliminating Phalanx II, but that too.

Otherwise, while defensive enfeebles can justify some higher potencies since they'd inherently carry the risk of taking damage or some other condition, offensive actions will ultimately see more immediate results that people will hone in on in a game where a strong offense is often the best defense. It's not so much that our enfeebles are useless on fodder, but more that we can't inflict them all in time to be meaningful. To that end, I wouldn't mind more combined spells that don't sacrifice potency for the speed of infliction, perhaps leading to a Bad Breath equivalent for RDMs that doesn't suck. It's just a matter of deciding how to pair/group effects, like how Radiant Breath inflicts Slow and Silence on top of its damage. Actually, it'd be nice if whatever new enfeebles carried a slight damage component, or sin of sins, TP generation for the RDM.

TP generation like Occult Acumen for Red Mage, even if it was only for enfeebles would be an interesting thing to have.

On the defensive enfeebles in general, I don't think they should replace enfeebling magic, but they could be a tool to augment it. Spikes currently excel at combating large groups of weaker foes, which seems to be Red Mage's strongest trait right now between spikes and Phalanx.