Post-99 Job Specialization System

[Duelle]

I'll sign up on the mystic knight path. Am worried about BST, though. Also, only way I can see a throwing WS would be a Katana WS that is animated to look liked a throwing WS, which wouldn't make much sense.

[Merton9999]

Good writes but meh... you are just dividing one job into two with kind of like a ying-yang set up...

If SE is to do that, soon people will ask to combine them.

Thx but no thank you...

That's why it's been suggested that you be able to merit every ability in every specialization. But then you would have to choose one specialization to apply @moogle. This way you can't do everything at once, but you also don't have to remove all the merits you earned from one ability to put them in another. Basically it would be just like selecting a subjob.

I'd also worry about the potential of one specialization to trump others. No matter how balanced they were, though, it's better than the current system because if you do find yourself in a situation where the other specialization is useful you have the option to apply it. I'd like maxed Bio III for kiting, but for what I do most on RDM I couldn't justify it. It would be great to give up Para II and Slow II for a solo kiting venture without wasting the merit points.

Again just like a subjob, there is usually an obvious choice. But I like those moments where I can freely choose a situationally beneficial alternative. It would be nice to do that with merits too.

[Akujima]

I stumbled across this thread and...

I love it!!! It sounds a bit WoW-ish with the spec idea, but STILL, it would be darn FUN.

Awesome ideas, it would establish more character to the jobs, and allow people to play how they want with certain jobs, without being ridiculed about what job they play.

EDIT: Actually I vote for this idea all the way. IMO it's one of the best idea's I've seen so far relating to 99 endgame content.

Suggestions: I would leave the number of specs to 2 per job. It would mean less work for the dev team, and would prevent certain jobs from following the same pattern of specs. ie, WHM being Enhance/Heal/DD~ish while RDM is Enchance/Heal/DD~ish, SCH following along the same lines.

PS. wish12oz statement that throwing wouldn't work for NIN is false, because with the NIN spec, you could just give NIN a crap ton of ranged attack, and also something like "Swiftshot Tonic" enabling them to throw 2~3 shuriken in 1 toss. I'm pretty sure by then SE would have fixed ranged attacks and added and implemented more/better shuriken.


All in all, this idea is 'boss'.

[Fadnog]

I love this idea. But like many people have suggested i think you should be able to change ur specification @MH so that ur not stuck as 1 or the other.

I think that a few jobs need a bit of reworking with the choices but this is a great rough draft.

[noodles355]

I think you should have the option of specializing in either one of the two paths or none at all. So like once you hit NIN99 you can choose to spend your merit points in the the Shadow, Assassin, or just an improved normal Ninja group. That way you don't get stuck having to choose between black or white, you can take the "standard" path between the two, gaining little boosts from each group, instead.

[slakyak]

First thing I thought when I saw this was that it's similar to the wizard jobs (advanced mage I guess) from FFI. It's not quite as simple as that but still a cracking idea and the melee/pet job ideas look good too.

[hideka]

all in all a great idea. i have one suggestion:make every job have 3 specializations, and name them after their AF AF2 and emp sets, and make them much broader spectrums.

EX:
Paladin:
Gallant: Enhances tanking capabilities

1. Latent effect: Enhances Enmity cap, and lowers damage taken.
2. Augments Cover: takes damage for anyone behind the paladin, not limited to one target.
3. Augments flash: flash now deals light damage. (low light damage)
   
4. Gallants Pride: AOE JA Buff - Lowers damage taken for all party members affected.

Valor: Enahances DD capabilities

1. latent effect: increases melee damage
2. Augments Enlight: Lowers enemies Mevasion Eva, DEF and MDEF by a miniscule ammount per swing, stacking up to 5%
3. Augments Sentinel: Sentinel Provides an attack bonus while active.
   
4. Valorous Wrath: deals light based magic damage Proportionate to current HP ( does more damage with less HP)

Creed: enhances healing capabilities

1. Latent Effect: Increases Cure potency, Auto refresh +1
2. Augments Rampart: Rampart now restores 25% of the paladins max MP.
3. Augments Shield Bash: heals all party members in range equal to the damage dealt
   
4. Divine Creed: Heals target party member by an ammount proportionate to your current TP. (low recast timer, max of 300 HP restored)

Redmage
Warlock: Enhances nuking and healing

1. Latent effect: MAB+10, CPT+10,
2. augments elemental magic: Increases Susceptibility to enfeebling magic matching the element of the nuke.
3. Augments healing magic: increases resistance to last damage type sustained.
   
4. Warlocks Barrage: Deals random Elemental Damage to all targets in range.

Duelist: enhances Melee offense and defensive abilities

1. latent effect: Accuracy +10% Attack +10%, Evasion skill +20, Shield skill +30, Parrying +10
2. Augments En spells: Double attack +5%
3. Augments Parrying: Retaliation chance on Parry
   
4. Duelists Engarde: deals damage porportionate to remainingMP, matching element of current En spell. Draws moderate enmity (provoke). provides heightened chance to parryevade or block incoming attacks for a short time.

Estoqueur: Enahances debuffing and supporting

1. latent effect: Enhances Buffing and debuffing Potency. Increases Enfeebling magic accuracy.
2. Augments Buffs:buffs return a 10% of their MP when they wear off or are removed.
3. Augments Enfeebling magic:enfeebling magic now does low elemental damage matching the enfeeebles element.
   
4. Estoqueur's Hindrance: Deals damage proportionate with the ammount of debuffs currently on the target. does not break sleep effects.

Thief:
Rouge: focuses on subversion (stealth, stealing, mugging, enfeebling)

1. latent effect: Steal +5, Despoil +5 Mug +5, Hide duration+60
2. Augments Melee attacks: low chance of randomly inflicting poison blind slow and paralyze
3. Augments Hide: Critical damage +25% when attacking from Hide
4. Enhances Hide: Hide now applies sneak and deodorize before applying Hide.
   
5. Rouges Wit: Increases TH & gill finder level by 1 for every steal mug and despoil attempt against current target.

Assasin: focuses on SA TA abilities

1. latent Effect: SA damage +10% TA damage +10%
2. Augments Sneak attack: No longer dependent on dirrection
3. Augments Trick attack: No longer requires angle dependant partner, applies threat to the closest player to the thief
   
4. Assisinate: deals damage equivalent up to 25% of the targets maximum HP, Affected by the number of trick attacks and sneak attacks preformed on the target.

Raider: focuses on meleeing abilities
Latent effect: Dual wield +20, trippleattack +5
augments Critical Hits: Critical hits have a chance to grant double TP.
Augments evasion: can counter attack on an evade.

Raiders strike: deals damage proportionate to the number of critical hits dealt to the target: Grants TP equivalent to +1 for every critical hit against current target.


stuff like that would be perfect, have the spec augment a few aspects of the job, and grant a JA that would remain exclusive to that spec and help it flourish and thrive, so that one spec wouldnt be better then another, and would only be a matter of preference.

[Gotterdammerung]

I like the concept but not necessarily the current suggestions. I think the choice between 2 prestige paths, each with its own exclusive abilities, fits nicely into any endgame. But it would require a lot of work to properly define each path and balance them correctly. If improperly balanced, it could lead to one path being exclusively chosen or worse it could lead to several jobs being exiled like lepers. Not to mention duty over imagination. For instance what if mystic knight has tons of really fun stuff for a player but they are treated like lepers for choosing the path because Time mage gives rdm irreplacable value to a linkshell. But anyway i agree with the concept, it just needs to be devotedly executed.

Also, Bst shouldnt ever be able to charm NMs. Things can't respawn while we have them charmed. And we don't need anymore reasons for people to hate us.

Try this instead

Beastsoul: Master Merges into charm/called pet leaving pet toon. Become 1 character take the most beneficial of all character parmeters between the pet and master. Gain all pets abilites as well as retain your own. Merge ends upon death or duration of charm/call beast.

Beast Lord: Bonuses from masters gear transfers to pet. Pet may gain the benefit and be targeted by masters Spells and abilities, but not anyone else as per normal.





Also side note, A Warrior bard is called a "Skald" not a dirge. A Dirge is a song played at a funeral and is used mostly to refer to a bard with some power over the Necromantic arts.

[Panthera]

I hope tier III merits are like tier II merits in that it gives you JA's, although some Tier II's just effect durations and probabilities, etc, but I like the spending merits for JA's. Although the nice part about Tier IIs is that you can customize it, so you can have a bit of everything or 2 things maxed out.