The Possible Red Mage Solution

I think from previous FF??? series, I Feel RDM was meant to be this overpowering class that bridge the ability the used to be ready for any fight in the game. Take XI for example, it had 6 member in a full party, even if you wanted to push the DPS in a group, having a party member that could Heal & DPS was need, but In XIV it would be more used to phase out the Bard class and the back up healer. Where 2 RDM would be extremely beast.

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Originally Posted by Slvr_Stryker

1: All around, while I do *understand* the concept of Fencer using DEX as its primary damage modifier...I don't outright like it. Granted, that's only due to what the game does with the stats, and I don't like that they've made Rogue/Ninja appear to use DEX either for the same reasons.

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This could be changed to STR, thought it was also to help Mystic Knight (Fencer's other job) have a higher parry threshold than PLD and WAR.

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2: I enjoy the spellblade variants on your first concept. However, I personally don't think it's *enough*. In keeping in mind of the "jack of all trades" role, I ultimately do want it to begin to learn actual magic at some point.

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Well, we should keep in mind that most renditions of RDM borrow heavily from the other jobs. This is why I think it has enough leeway through the cross-class spells to sort of create that library of borrowed magic RDM has had in other FFs. The second concept was my attempt to give the job six spells of its own, with Battle Cast as the switch between, say, melee-range slow (Frost) and a ranged attack that deals higher damage (Battle Cast+Frost). This way you have the melee foundation, healing spells and offensive magic rolled into one while still keeping it within one role in the trinity.

Assuming we were to keep the base class, fencer does present a sort of restriction of what base you can build RDM into. With DRK having no base class, there's a chance RDM may be similarly implemented.

Im not really seeing this happening, there is already talks of reworking the class system in 3.0, this could easily entail changing the job skills from the base class skills to diversify the job from the class further, this would allow you to do so much more with jobs considering you would no longer have to take the base skills from the class into consideration when coming up with a new job for that class. That being said, I would be quite happy to see the Red Mage spawn from gladiator, and be more of a physical presence with spell enhancements and ranged attacks to keep persistent dps up all phases...I just cant imagine a Red Mage without a sword and shield...and for that sword to only be looks would be abysmal... This class needs to be melee with a few (scourge like) spells to spam while kiting around....it needs to utilize both TP and MP and have support spells like the selene healing fairy...

The main appeal of a RDM ('a jack of all traits, master on none') is also it's main downfall for it to be added to the Class>Job system in FF14.

In the FF series, a RDM has typically been the rapier-wielding caster that uses an array of mid level BLM, WHM, and caster support spells.

With the current Class to Job setup in FF14, the RDM would have to have at least 3 base class for it to make sense (e.g. GLD, THM, & WHM), which could malign the overall image of the RDM being a somewhat strange Frankensteinish mess of a Job, in comparison to the rest of the streamlined Jobs available ingame.

The only other possible solution (under the current system) would be to do something akin to the Dark Knight, in that you would either have to omit the base Classes entirely, or have BLM & WHM as the base Classes, with some type of story plot/ themed patch (or expansion) that leads casters to take up the sword. :/

As for the dynamics of how the Job would play, I think a melee version of a BRD would be a good idea. I think a dotting/ debuffing melee with party wide buffs could be the niche that the RDM could fill. In addtion to the proposed play style mentioned, perhaps inorder to add the caster element to the Job of the Red Mage, a system similar to the MNK's self buffs could be implemented (e.g. elemental self buffs applied to their weapon). Who knows, maybe if they were to be the 2nd 'support' Job, they could usher in a new type of limit break.

To be honest, RDM is one of those iconic classes/ jobs in the FF series that would be great to have (in theory) in FF14, but in actuality, would be difficult to properly implement.

That's my 2 cents anyway.