Runic, (Can I have it?)

[ManaKing]

Idk about matching the current enspell. It would be extra steps that might be unnecessary. It seems like more of an excuse to get enlight and endark, than to be functional to the RDM.

But i'm very much in favor of the teamwork aspects of it.

Being a nuke delivery system for higher tier casters would be an aspect of RDM I would enjoy and I think everyone else would enjoy as well. I've put some of that in RDM melee... but that thread is super long so ill dig it out and post what i put there so we can compare notes.

[ManaKing]

Write up on Runic:
Job Ability _ Runic _ Recast timer between 2 - 5 minutes.

The next damaging, offensive spell cast in 30 yalms of the RDM is absorbed by their weapon. The next melee attack will apply the spell as an additional affect. The damage is at full potency from the caster + any additional magic attack bonus that the RDM has.

This would only work on magic schools that the RDM has natively. No Blue Magic. No monster abilities. No Ninjitsu. No Summoning magic, unless it is a spell that is Elemental Magic, such as Fire IV from Ifrit. The spells source can either be a member of your alliance (pets included) or an enemy that your alliance is engaging.

The JA doesn't go on cooldown until the spell is dissipated by using it or canceling the buff. That way you can't use Runic back to back.


The idea is a combination of Chrono Trigger mechanics and Celes' Runic from FF6. I see Runic as a different application of Convert. Taking one thing and channeling it into another.

It would make RDM into a spell catalyst for higher tier nukers. We would be able to take another casters Nukes and deliver them to the Mob without the casters gaining hate. Instead we would get the hate. We would also get more use out of magic attack bonus gear, because it would help us further enhance the damage of the spells.

We would also be very effective again caster type mobs, so we would have a niche. I personally love the idea of a RDM being the last thing another mage wants to take on 1 V 1, because we are Duelists and Warlocks. We cheat, we bend the rules, and we aren't afraid to get our hands dirty to win. We will even take your own magic, and turn it against you.

I think other mages would love a hate free delivery system for their Higher Tier magic. I designed the idea around more teamwork for RDM and giving it a desirable position in a party.

[Merton9999]

I like this version of yours in terms of how the damage is applied. It's simpler and achieves the same purposes. My intent with matching the enspell was twofold:

1. Allows players to know what spells of theirs can be absorbed. Not only does this clue them in against unintentional absorption (maybe they were trying to mb or sc), but it also minimizes an accidental absorption. So say the BLM starts casting Burst II, you pop Runic, then the SCH starts casting Water V. The intent would be to absorb the Burst II but you'd get the Water V if there was no way to "direct" it. Enspell is a way to do this.

2. I love your concept of turning the mob's spells against them, but without a limit on what spell you could absorb you essentially have a reflect for all of the mob's elemental spells. Enspell limits you to one element at a time. Although, with your 2-5 minute recast I doubt the all-element reflect possibility would be overpowered. But again with the enspell, if others are paying attention they can see what you intend on absorbing, and maybe skip the Stun on that element. Then you'd be free to give a shorter cooldown.

I'll admit I'd look for any way to have Enlight and Endark, but the enspell requirement was intended to be a lot more.

[Duelle]

The next damaging, offensive spell cast in 30 yalms of the RDM is absorbed by their weapon. The next melee attack will apply the spell as an additional affect. The damage is at full potency from the caster + any additional magic attack bonus that the RDM has.

I agree with the idea, though I would split it into two.

Runic Absorb (or Draw) for absorbing the spell and Runic Release (or Strike) for releasing the damaging spell. Absorbing the spell through Runic Absorb would give you the status buff Containment, which lasts 10 seconds and then wears off (or if you want to be really mean, damages the Red Mage after the 10 second period is up). Runic Release would ensure the hit is guaranteed, because making it rely on the next melee swing won't help much if you're stacking+MAB gear since then you're not wearing standard +Acc stuff.

I personally love the idea of a RDM being the last thing another mage wants to take on 1 V 1, because we are Duelists and Warlocks. We cheat, we bend the rules, and we aren't afraid to get our hands dirty to win. We will even take your own magic, and turn it against you.

Oh, so I'm not the only one who thinks a RDM would be the type of guy to bend every rule that separates melee and mage if it came down to it. A path that favors improvisation more often than not, so to speak.

[ManaKing]

I will stress that my version of Runic is only for nukes, spells that cause damage. If it wouldn't give TP with occult Accumen, it won't be affected by runic. Runic would be a Job Ability, so it would be instant cast. I don't think that timing Runic effectively should be a problem, just a skill for RDMs to work on. Good RDMs will be able to pick the spells that they want to interact with. Bad ones will still be bad.

To me, timing your Runic activation and making sure your party knows how play with a RDM is important and adds to good game play. If you have an idiot in the group that keeps casting nukes after you have done a call macro that asks for ONLY BLM to cast, then deal with the unskilled person so we can have some legit team work again. If the mob is messing up your casts, then that is part of the game. Get someone with a stun, maybe 2.



Duelle, as usual, brings up a good point. For simplicity's sake, I would say that your next attack can't miss, but what about a compromise? What if the 2nd ability wasn't called Runic Release and was called Soliloquy? The kit would be something of a middle ground for where I think we both stand on that idea.

The full idea being that you can use Runic to pre cast a nuke and you use Soliloquy to deliver it and open conditions for Magic Bursting.

You get your required spell for MB, I get the ability to choose where that spell comes from. We both get use out of our MBB and look pimp doing it.

You can still use Runic defensively to block spells and you can still use Runic during battles(skill and teamwork required).


Soliloquy thread (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/th...DM-job-ability.)

Oh, so I'm not the only one who thinks a RDM would be the type of guy to bend every rule that separates melee and mage if it came down to it. A path that favors improvisation more often than not, so to speak.

Stacking 6+ enfeebles on the same mob was never playing fair. I've never thought of trying to get a fair fight out of a mob. For most of the length of this game, mobs that gave you decent XP, would beat you mercilessly. It's only recently that has changed. I personally want mobs to require team work again. I was hoping we would get some more challenge soon, AND that RDM would be ready for it.

[Raksha]

This would definitely be a PLD type ability if it were implemented. Realistically though it'd be a buff sorta like blink/stoneskin that absorbs the next magic damage that hits you.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

This would definitely be a PLD type ability if it were implemented. Realistically though it'd be a buff sorta like blink/stoneskin that absorbs the next magic damage that hits you.

The actual job that uses Runic was a Rune Knight, which was very similar to RDM far more so than PLD.

[ManaKing]

I'm betting they only read OP. Yeah the OP is PLD-esque, but the more recent ones are clearly more RDM. PLD doesn't have anything to do with elemental magic.

If you want PLD to get a new ability, then give them an AOE spell or JA that works like stone skin, but for magic damage only.

[Merton9999]

I like Duelle's dual ability concept, especially the part where the RDM takes damage if not released quick enough!

I'm a fan of the current simplified game play, and have no interest in requiring teamwork or introducing more challenge soon. That got old in 2006. If you do want to require all this coordination though, you'd need to offer a LOT more than an MAB bonus for a Runic absorbed spell. Otherwise it would quickly join Skillchains, Magic Bursts and SATA in the "not worth it" graveyard. Coordinating stuns, JA announcement macros, a casting moratorium for everyone but your Runic partner, the chance to absorb a mob's out-of-the-blue 90% FC spell that would cure it - they may all seem like good gameplay to some, but my prediction is the RDM who wanted to melee with a Runic that carried all that baggage for a bit of MAB would quickly be more shunned than the one that just wanted to melee.

Without a way to direct the potential absorbed spell (matching the current enspell is just one simple way to do this), Runic is going to need to offer a lot more utility to justify its coordination costs.

[ManaKing]

I'm a fan of the current simplified game play, and have no interest in requiring teamwork or introducing more challenge soon. That got old in 2006.

I'm sorry to hear it. I enjoy hunting loot. The more elusive and rare the better so long as the monster in front of it is actually a challenge. Fighting hard stuff is how I have fun.

I like playing with my friends, who are all competent at the game. They would have no problem, pull any of this off. Watching things blow up is more satisfying when it's in a group and we actually had to try.

I do find Aby to be dreadfully boring, almost all of the time. But you are entitled to your opinion. If you like the simplified version, can you suggest a compromise that might be somewhere in the middle?

Without a way to direct the potential absorbed spell (matching the current enspell is just one simple way to do this), Runic is going to need to offer a lot more utility to justify its coordination costs.

I'm suggesting the ability to:

• nullify enemy Nukes
• take hate for mages
• open up magic bursting without SCs
• amplify nuke damage

and you dont want it?