Red Mage defensive

[Ophannus]

while I totally support a better shield rating for WHM, it is still a job less associated with melee activity,

WHM is a better melee than RDM though so I still fail to see your argument. Hexa-Strike outclasses almost all of our WS except CDC, clubs have far higher base DMG than swords, WHM arguably has better haste pieces than us and can Enspell with Auspice. There is very little if anything that RDM has over WHM for meleeing.

BRD has a B- in Dagger too and they're a better melee than us(Marchx2,can wear Hecatomb gear as well as sky god gear) but they have E in parrying. You can argue that it isn't BRD's primary job to melee but I could say neither is RDM's.