Sage Job

If Sage Were to be added how do you think it would play

like you know red mage, since they are you know red mages?

Not quite Sages were simply spellcasters while RDM were essentially melee/casters hybrid.
A sage usually is depitched with having unrestricted access to all magics no matter the level, but flavorwise imho if they wanted to add it into the game it's lore would perhaps be too similar to BLM as a direct nuker.

Taking from FF of the past we usually have them having access to both white and black magic of the highest level, in 3 they could also use the summons but depending on the version they could either be their full power or simply their weakest one (the ds one nerfed the hell out of them)
With the execption of the tactics advance series where their magick is high level spells only, namely death, meteor, flare and some support spells

For the same reason we won't see Magus or Seer, I'm pretty sure Sage will remain an npc only job.

If it's essentially just a higher rank of something we have, or something that overlaps and then delimits a job, reducing its identity or cohesion, then I both expect and hope that we will never see it in XIV.

Hold on a sec, DRK was a dps in the lore, they can simply call a new caster sage and be completely different in here

Sage

Role: Caster DPS
Sub: Magic Support

Lore: Sages are older, much more experienced magi who have looked beyond their own disciplines, which many mages these days prefer not to do. This wide understanding of magic makes them effective spellcasters for many situations, but the immense amount of time has taken its toll. Sages make way for the new, upcoming mages, hoping that they can instruct them to begin their wider curriculum from an earlier age. Magic is too fascinating to stay in just one corner, after all.

Unique Mechanic: Heighten Magic - Sages Spell gain in potency based on their Spell Level, mostly gained from casting spells. This goes form Level 1 to Level 9. For each Spell Level below 5, the Sage gains 5% spellcasting speed. For each level above 5, the Sage gains 3% Critical Chance. Each spell level above 1 grants 3% increased potency.

Limit Break: Ages Past. Calls upon the memory and knowledge of previous Sages, opening a leyline of magical power beneath the targeted area.

Support Abilities
Delta Attack: Create a triangular leyline with three points, one centered on you. The other two points may each have one ally within for reduced MP costs as well as freezing their Unique Buff/Mechanic timers. While you are within your point, party members deal increased damage.

Mana Gift: Create a blossom leyline pattern on the ground. One ally standing within gains MP regeneration. If that party member isn't you, they also refresh cooldowns quicker.

Abilities - Metamagic: All Metamagics increase Spell MP cost.
All-Cast: Causes a single target spell to target all nearby targets instead.
Max-Cast: Cause the next spell cast to be considered level 9 for Potency and Critical chance.
Min-Cast: Cause the next spell cast to be considered Level 1 for Casting Speed.
Libra-Cast: Cause the next spell cast to deal 50% less damage, but inflict the target with Libra, causing the next 3 sources of Magical Damage to critically strike.

Sage Steroids - Masters of magic get to cheat.
Sagacious Overdrive: For the next 15 seconds, your spells cost no MP and your Metamagics have no cooldown. Reduces Spell level to 1 and MP to 0 when the duration ends.
Sagacious Inversion: For the next 15 seconds, your damaging spells instead target allies and heal for the amount they would have damaged. Reduces Spell level to 1 and MP to 0 when the duration ends.
Sagacious 'Meditation': For the next 15 seconds, you become unable utilize Metamagics and gradually restore MP.

Spellcasting Kit
Divided between Cast time Nukes/ Dots and instant cast Nukes/Dots.

Cast Time spells increase Spell Level
Instant cast spells, aside from Swiftcast, reduce Spell Level.

Examples
Magic Missile
Cast time: 1.5
Effect: Deal magic damage with a potency of 70. For each two Spell Levels above 1, Magic Missile fires 1 additional missile and takes .75 seconds longer to cast.

Conflagration
Cast time: instant
Effect: Deal Fire damage with a potency of 50, and an additional 30 DoT for 15s. Conflagration's duration increases by 3s for each Spell Level. Reduces Spell Level by 3 on cast.

Force Wave
Cast time: 2.5
Effect: Slam the staff to the ground, dealing unaspected damage with a potency of 150 to nearby enemies. Moving does not interrupt this spell.

Penultimate Magic
Instant cast
MP Cost: 6% per Spell Level
Effect: Deals 70 potency per Spell Level. Reduces Spell Level to 1.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kabooa

Sage

---

You're sick, I love it.

Not a fan of the steroid part but I like that

Though maybe I would see them using maces as weapons

Admittedly it's just a quick and dirty take.

Second look over made me think of moving LIbra to an independent ability, and having Metamagics being 'stances', with the overdrive essentially activating them all. Massive MP out-take but the Sage is firing off rapid spells until they're bone dry.

*shakes fist at Tellah and his limited 90mp pool*

I think you could find some silver apples to get him some more MP to go wild with meteor.

Myabe the concept needs a skill restoring MP called silver apple :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kabooa

Sage

---

The idea is so fuckin awesome. I would love to play something like that!

I was thinking.

In the game battlechasers there's this mechanic where basic attacks build overcharge mana whose pool increases as you expend your mana and when using mana spending abilities you use your overcharge before using your mana.
So I wonder if you think this can be added on the spell level system. Like casted spells increases your level and overcharge and instant cast consumes the level and overcharge for graeter effect or something

Well, with this you could definitely say goodbye to RDM. Sages in other games are basically better versions of RDM without the melee abilities and are less durable. The melee of RDMs in FFXIV really is just tacked on.

So Sage, which brings buffs to both melee and magic users, would probably replace RDM altogether due to superior utility over RDM, who only brings a melee damage buff and raise. And if Sages, masters of White and Black magic, also get Raise then GG RDM.

Personally, from what I see here, for your version of Sage to not completely push RDMs out, they'd have to complete work RDMs (and I would have no issue with that as I feel the melee aspects of the class are a wasted opportunity).

I don't agree with what you said though. If Sage comes one day, it would probably not be in the next expac (maybe?). That means RDM will have at least two expac of new abilities. In two expac, the old "selfish" melee DPS got some utility, the DoT mage became something strange, the immovable turret mage can now move every 60s, etc. They could expand on the melee side of the RDM, increase the depth of the mana gauge, give RDM more utility, etc. during those two expac, and that will make them really different from what they are atm.

Also, SMN can also bring some utility, and that doesn't make RDM out of flavor.

Sage can live with RDM, it just has to have a different gameplay. And it's pretty easy, since it's not the same class at all.

Besides I don't see much overlap on kabooa's proposal with RDM of now. Just like DRK in FFXIV has no connection to DRK from the other FF, I think SE can devise something that works

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Remedi

I was thinking.

In the game battlechasers there's this mechanic where basic attacks build overcharge mana whose pool increases as you expend your mana and when using mana spending abilities you use your overcharge before using your mana.
So I wonder if you think this can be added on the spell level system. Like casted spells increases your level and overcharge and instant cast consumes the level and overcharge for graeter effect or something

---

I could see MP expended for spells being built up into another source first expended by Instant Casts / other unique spells. Whether as a pseudo extra resource or a source of additional potency.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ryaz

Personally, from what I see here, for your version of Sage to not completely push RDMs out, they'd have to complete work RDMs (and I would have no issue with that as I feel the melee aspects of the class are a wasted opportunity).

---

Somewhat unintended. I personally would change some things about Red Mage as well, but that isn't this topic.

In an ideal world, the Sage would work best with caster compositions and work alright with physical. Physical Timers don't tend to be as impactful as Magic Timers (Leylines + AF, Bahamut), and the MP aspects are mostly wasted.

Sage + Blam + Sum + Red, Sage + Sum + Ninja + Dragoon, Sage + Red + Bard/Mach + Dragoon, etc etc.

For some reason, Kabooa's idea of Sage *highly* reminds me of how magic works in Overlord the Light Novel/Anime.

This is a good thing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kabooa

Sage

---

I love this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kabooa

Admittedly it's just a quick and dirty take.

Second look over made me think of moving LIbra to an independent ability, and having Metamagics being 'stances', with the overdrive essentially activating them all. Massive MP out-take but the Sage is firing off rapid spells until they're bone dry.

*shakes fist at Tellah and his limited 90mp pool*

---

Unless there's a current %MP power modifier, that seems like it would really, really be favored in speedburns, especially in PvP.

A bit of inspiration from Arcane Mage back in the BC/Lich King days in WoW. That spec of Mage was all about MP management to maximize damage.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kabooa

A bit of inspiration from Arcane Mage back in the BC/Lich King days in WoW. That spec of Mage was all about MP management to maximize damage.

---

Haha, that's exactly what I was thinking of. In this case I'd recommend it be a more core and unavoidable emphasis, is all, rather than given through an avoidable (i.e. Mastery) stat.

It's actually still really fun even in Legion, btw, at least with the recommended legendaries. And it's changed the least of all the Mage specs, imo, probably for good reason.

Well you guys didn't ask for this, and since the vague concept was received so well, I decided to ruin it with concrete details.

Enjoy.

I. A Few Assumptions
This write up assumes a few changes to a couple universal mechanics.

1. MP remains on the ‘Server tick’ (Ugh, I know, right?), but the MP bar changes color to represent this (Option to turn this off if you wish). The bar will slowly pulse, being standard color at ‘0’ and flashing to white at the ‘tick’.

2. The Caster Damage Dealer role no longer has access to any sort of Raising spell

3. The Caster Damage Dealer Role Action Mana Shift is changed to the following:

Mana Shift
Ability
120 Second Recast
Effect: Remove up to 20% of your MP, granting that to target ally as well as any Role Action Buff currently active on you.

4. The Red Mage is compensated for the lost of Verraise through Dual Cast improving the potency of spells utilizing it by 20%, and Embolden no longer being a decaying boost.

II. identity
The Sage is a Caster Damage Dealer, focusing primarily on providing Magic and Ability related support. They are not the hero of the story, but rather the mentor they meet along the way, and is well versed, if not with some degree of mastery, in many magical disciplines.

The Sage wields a walking cane in one hand, or a walking stick in two. It’s a purely cosmetic difference between each option.


III. Unique Mechanics

The Sage’s primary mechanic is Spell Level. Spell Level determines the power of their spells, as well as the castime and additional effects. Spell Level increases and decreases based on the spells utilized, along with abilities and Sage specific metamagics.

Spell Level starts at 1 and progresses to Level 9.
Each spell level above 1 increases spell potency by 3%

The Sage’s supporting mechanic is Leylines. The Sage reveals fonts of aether along the battlefield that benefits themselves and allies who stand within them.

IV. Action and Trait List [1-70]
All damage related numbers are placeholders. This is primarily a write up of style and base mechanics. Unless otherwise stated, all recast times of Spell / GCD actions is default of 2.5 or equivalent to the cast time.

Magic Missile [Level 1]
Spell
Cost: MP
Cast Time: 1.5 seconds.
Effect: Fires a bolt of unaspected magic with a potency of 80. Improves Spell level by 1. For every two spell levels, Magic Missile fires one additional bolt at the target, takes .75 seconds longer to cast, and costs increased MP.

Bolt[Level 4]
Spell
Cost: Free
Instant Cast
Effect: Fling a bolt of lightning at the target charged by the latent aether within. Deals 230 Lightning potency and reduces Spell Level by 2. Deals 50% more damage on even Spell Levels.

Leylines: Natural Font [Level 8]
Ability
Duration: 20
Recast: 120
Targets self or ally.
Effect: Expose a natural font of Aether on the field. This leyline restores MP to one ally party member standing within. If that party member is anyone except you, recharge Abilities 100% faster for the duration.

Metamagic: Heighten-Cast [Level 10]
Ability
Recast: 45
Effect: Increases the MP cost of the next spell you cast by 10%. That spell ignores Spell Level reduction if present, and increases Spell Level gain by an additional 1.

Shockwave [Level 12]
Spell
Cost: MP
Cast time: 2.5
Effect: Tap the end of your weapon to the ground, sending forth a shockwave of magic around you. Deals damage in an area around you for 100 potency. Increases Spell Level by 1. For every 3 Spell Levels above 1, Shockwave sends another pulse out and costs additional MP. This spell is not interrupted by movement.

Penultimate Magic [Level 15]
Spell
Cost: Free
Cast time: Instant
Effect: Deals 70 potency per spell Level. Reduces Spell Level to 1.

The Breadth of Wisdom: From the Shroud [Level 15]
Trait
Effect: The Sage has explored many facets of Magic, and though is hardly a master of them all, they are capable and one would have trouble telling where they had started their life as a mage without being outright told.

The Sage is capable of selecting up to 1 of their Role Actions from the Healer menu.

Sagacious Wisdom: Inversion [Level 15]
Ability
Recast: 150
Duration: 15
Effect: Your spells may now target allies and instead heal them for the damage they would have dealt. Spell Level is reduced to 1 and MP is reduced to 0 when the duration ends.

Metamagic: All-Cast [Level 18]
Ability
Recast: 45
Effect: Increases the MP cost of the next single target spell by 25%. This spell targets all enemies within 5y of the primary target.

Tornado [Level 22]
Spell
Cost: MP
Cast time: 4.0
Duration: 3
Effect: Stun enemies within 5y of the primary target, and draw them to the target. Enemies immune to the stun effect are immune to the draw in effect. Every two spell levels above 1 increases the range of the radius by 2y and the MP cost. Increases Spell Level by 1 for each target hit.

Runic Trigger [Level 26]
Spell
Cast time: 3.5
Cost: MP
Duration: 9
Effect: Conjure a Glyph under target enemy that may be triggered after 3s. This glyph deals 80 potency to enemies standing within, with an additional 40 for every 3s it remains, up to 9s. Each spell level above 1 increases the MP cost and the potency of the stage increase by 5. The glyph will explode upon reaching maximum duration, or upon the execution of any Instant Cast spell.

Leylines: The Flowing Stream [Level 30]
Ability
Duration: 20s
Recast: 120s
Effect: Expose a vent of natural magic around you. Allies within do not interrupt their actions by movement for the duration.

Sagacious Wisdom: ‘Meditation’ [Level 30]
Ability
Duration: 20s
Recast: 180s
Effect: Become unable to act while ‘meditating, greatly increasing MP regeneration.

Steady Destruction[Level 35]
Spell
Cost: MP
Cast Time: 5.0
Effect: Costs 50% of current MP. Deals 280 unaspected potency to the target. Increases Spell Level by 3.

The Breadth of Wisdom: From the Fields of Coerthas [Level 38]
Trait
Effect: The Sage is able to select 1 of their Role Actions from the Ranged menu.

Metamagic: Min-Cast [Level 40]
Ability
Recast: 30
Effect: Your next spell has its MP cost and cast time treated as if it were at Spell Level 1.

Conflagrate [Level 45]
Spell
Cast time: Instant
Cost: Free
Effect: Inflicts the target with flame, dealing 50 potency for 15s. Each Spell Level above 1 increases the duration by 3s. Reduces spell level by 3.

Metamagic: Max-Cast [Level 48]
Ability
Recast: 45
Effect: Your next spell has all parameters treated as if it were Spell Level 9.

Meteo [Level 50]
Spell
Cast time: 5.0s
Recast: 120s
Cost: All MP
Effect: Calls down a wave of meteorites onto the target area, pummeling it for 100 potency. Each spell level above 1 causes an additional wave of meteorites to pummel the target area every 3 seconds.

Sagacious Wisdom: Overdrive[Level 50]
Ability
Duration: 15
Recast: 120
Effect: Your spells cost no MP, do not impact Spell Level, and your Sage specific metamagics have no cooldown. At the end of this duration, MP is reduced to 0 and Spell Level is reduced to 1.

Silver Apple [Level 52]
Trait
Effect: HP gained from Food and Materia also grant 50% of that value to maximum MP.

Metamagic: Libra-Cast [Level 54]
Ability
Recast: 60
Effect: Increases the cost of your next spell by 20%. Your next spell deals 50% less damage but inflicts the enemy with Libra. The next 4 sources of Magic Damage will critically strike.

The Breadth of Wisdom: The Thoroughly Convoluted Art of Arithmancy[Level 56]
Trait
Effect: When Conflagerate reduces Spell Level to a Prime Number, it instead detonates on the target, and hitting nearby enemies for ½ the damage it would have done. When Bolt reduces Spell Level to a Prime Number, it chains to another target and deals 100% more damage to it.

Leylines: The Delta Attack[Level 58]
Ability
Duration: 20
Recast: 120
Effect: Reveal the natural flow of magic in an area, designating three connected points of power, supporting you and two other allies. Your origin point, while you stand within, grants the Delta Attack 30% Damage Reduction.

The left point behind you, with one ally within, grants the Delta Attack reduced MP costs.
The right point behind you, with one ally within, freezes the Unique Mechanic / Buff timers of the Delta Attack, except for you.

Ultimate Magic[Level 60]
Spell
Cost: Free
Cast Time: Instant
Recast: 60
Effect: Follows Penultimate Magic. Deals the same damage as Penultimate Magic. Increases Spell level to 9.

Phantom Blade [Level 62]
Spell
Cast time: Instant
Effect: Strike all enemies around you with magic for 130 potency. Reduces spell level by 4. Gain MP for each enemy hit. Being reduced to a Prime Number on Spell Level causes Phantom Blade to repeat at no reduction.

Maelstrom [Level 64]
Spell
Cost: Free
Cast Time: Channeled
Duration: 21
Effect: Call down a steady stream of magic onto the target area, dealing 75 potency for 21 seconds. For every 2 spell levels above 1, Maelstrom’s duration is reduced by 3 seconds while the total potency remains the same.

The Breadth of Wisdom: A Measured Pace [Level 66]
Trait
Effect: Moving at walking speed doesn’t interrupt your spells, and being within any of your leylines increases Running speed by 20%.

Spiral Flux [Level 68]
Ability
Duration: 30
Recast: 90
Effect: Mark an enemy or ally with magic. Spiral Flux may be activated again within 30 seconds to transport yourself to the target. Enemies take 420potency damage and deal half that to surrounding enemies. Allies deal half that to surrounding enemies.

Relentless Barrage[Level 70]
Spell
Cast time: 4.0
Cost: MP
Effect: Blast the enemy for 320 potency. Each spell level above 1 reduces cast time by 0.3. Each cast of this spell increases its potency by 15% and MP cost by 45%. Increases spell level by 1. Any different spell following Relentless Barrage gains this damage bonus and removes the stacking potency and cost effect.

V. So how should it play?

1. MP is a resource and treated as such. Unlike the Black Mage, the goal isn’t so much to hit 0 and refill, but to ensure you can always be casting your spells. Active Metamagic and Sagacious Wisdom use will put a strain on MP costs along with individual spell interactions with Spell Level. This isn’t your Dad’s “Lucid Dreaming and Forget” MP bar.

2. The Sage is at heart a supportive DPS and boasts tools that, while superior for Casters, are still usable by others. Heavy timer Jobs of all stripes should find something to love about the Sage. Proper positioning is key to maximize the use of each Leyline pattern.

3. Magic Missile is your basic stacking spell. Bolt and Conflagrate provide instant casts but reduce Spell Level, and with Traits gain unique effects should they be used in a certain manner. Steady Destruction is a “!@#5 messed up” Spell that lets the Sage participate if MP is mismanaged, while waiting for MP restoring actions to come back up.

4. The more freeform approach to magic casting should provide a flexible, in-the-moment style as opposed to the rhythmic rotations of the three current casters. The moving parts of MP, Metamagic, and Spell Level interaction aim to create an engaging experience.

TL/DR: The vague concept had you happy. Lets ruin that with more concrete details.

Spell Level... Ley Lines... isn't this just Black Mage?

Nah not really, the gameplay is different enough imho

That said I was killed by the silver apple.

On a more serious note I like the more in depth, even on the caster role as a whole, also the concept 1 role skill from other roles, seems very interesting as a concept

I'd personally like to see something akin to a time mage. We've already got Astrologian for the Celestial-themed caster, even if it is a healer.

I really just want something that has their Level 3 LB as ZA WARUDO!

would that come with a ROADO ROLLER DAAAAAAAAAAA?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Remedi

would that come with a ROADO ROLLER DAAAAAAAAAAA?

---

Maybe a team Limit Break with the Red mages that summons an extra large version of Fleche?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Seraphor

Spell Level... Ley Lines... isn't this just Black Mage?

---

I feel like if your cherry pick selection accidentally enclosed even two more words, you'd quickly lose that assumption.

"Ley Lines: Delta Attack"...

"Spell Level" as a charge-up mechanic, not variant AF, AoE, or PPS modifiers...

Why call it Ley Lines if it's not Ley Lines?AF is a charge up mechanic, I highly doubt they'd ever want to implement a system with more than three tiers ever again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Seraphor

Why call it Ley Lines if it's not Ley Lines?AF is a charge up mechanic, I highly doubt they'd ever want to implement a system with more than three tiers ever again.

---

Sure, they could go by a different name. Imo, that just happens to be the name that, broadly speaking, makes the most sense, as (unlike the BLM skill) each actually makes use of Ley Lines. LL:Font, LL:Stream, and LL:Delta all make use of... Ley Lines. But whatever the case, why assume the less likely possibility (intentional redundancy) over the more likely (placeholder name, left because it happens to fit the suggested skill's effects at least as well as the current in-game skill fits its own effects. Seeing "Ley Lines", I thought immediately of something like the spell effect described thereafter. But even if BLM were your first time seeing the name, I mean, the very next two words (the latter half of the skill's name) show that it's absolutely different. If we're critiquing name sense, so be it, but that's not toolkit redundancy...

AF is a charge up mechanic that cannot be spent, only wasted. You may as well say that such a Sage would be too mechanically alike to a Monk-Machinist hybrid. (They're all essentially max-of-three charge up mechanics, same as AF/UI...) Would it be fine if we just stuck in on a granular job gauge a la Kenki instead of it being on a status bar or the side of a unique job gauge? At what point is something different enough for you?

I mean, I consider your Magitek Knight distinct and fairly unique, but I could point these same things out about it, especially any earlier iteration... Are you sure you're not denying others the same benefit of the doubt or concept-before-iteration when viewing a work in progress that you presumably give yourself?

If it's too similar just because it's a charge up mechanic, then what of other charge-up mechanics other than BLM's? What's the actual breakpoint for distinction? Any... constructive feedback?


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________




@Kabooa

Speaking of, I'll need a bit more time to picture it fully, so for now all I can offer may come off a bit nit-picky

Quote:

---

Spell Level starts at 1 and progresses to Level 9.
Each spell level above 1 increases spell potency by 3%

---

The maximum of 9 seems fine to me, though I suspect fewer may work a bit better, especially if 9 ever feels at all obligatory, because it would feel that much worse to give up your stacks for an instant nuke. Since mana costs don't seem to increase with spell level, maxing out SL will almost certainly be more MP-efficient as well. Nukes will have to be finely tuned to ensure that make optimal something ultimately dull. In Arcane, the sustain phase wove enough spender skills in to stay interesting while the burn itself relied on the costs and massive hits (a la LL-Conv Fire IV spam). This seems to work the opposite?

As for that stack maximum, again... My favorite part about playing Arcane in Legion as compared to earlier on was the availability of Charged Up, which would reset one's charges to maximum, allowing me that extra burst for free once per 40 seconds. I would have been even happier, however, if that talent didn't seem as necessary to enjoy Arcane (especially as it was mildly sub-optimal, but w/e). I worry about the feeling of ramp-up. I love the idea that you can gain power with cast time, however, as that feels like a perfect solution for getting back up to where you want to be more quickly, allowing for more rapid cycling and further feeling of control, but it doesn't seem as utilized as it could be just yet.

As for the spell level bonuses, I kinda wish it'd just stick either to on-spell adjustments according to a generally universal curve, or to just the mechanical modifier. For instance,
Ability Adjustments: Magic Missiles fires 5 missiles for 30 potency each initially, and then adds 1 per spell level thereafter. (If you want to stick with sustain via long casts, then each SL increases potency by 16.6/14.3/12.5/11.1/9.1/8.3/etc. % while increasing cast time by 10/9.1/8.3%... etc.)
Mechanical Modifier: Increases cast time by x% and potency by y%. Magic Missiles just always fires z # of missiles, or is the only exception to this rule.

That said, I understand that you want the rotation to bounce between optimal skill choices based on the actual number. I need to run it in my head when less sick/tired to make sure it still feels more stimulating than restrictive, though, before I can give proper feedback on that aspect. Same with the damage curves over SL cost, such as on Conflagrate.

Some spells like Heighten Magic feel like they include a wet noodle slap (10% mana cost increase) that would feel better either utterly invisible (that clause removed, skipping to the SL reduction immunity only), or far larger (double friggin mana cost).

...I'd really love to see this build make use of Continuous Casting (e.g. potency is naturally based on cast time, because the cast continuously pumps potential potency into the cast over a given growth curve; can be released early/weakened, normally/optimally, or late/empowered).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

The maximum of 9 seems fine to me, though I suspect fewer may work a bit better, especially if 9 ever feels at all obligatory, because it would feel that much worse to give up your stacks for an instant nuke. Since mana costs don't seem to increase with spell level, maxing out SL will almost certainly be more MP-efficient as well.

...I'd really love to see this build make use of Continuous Casting (e.g. potency is naturally based on cast time, because the cast continuously pumps potential potency into the cast over a given growth curve; can be released early/weakened, normally/optimally, or late/empowered).

---

Much of it is placeholder. "Cost: MP" doesn't quite give a proper feel for how much MP a spell will cost. It's worth noting that every Cast Time spell description has "Increased MP cost" in its description, but for a less-quick-but-still-dirty write up, exact numbers were avoided.

Edit: Not every Cast time. Fixing that..
Edit2: Overdrive didn't have its cost on it. Fixed that!

This is not true for Instant Cast spells, which have no MP cost. They instead cost the Spell Level. This is intentional. Working in the context of Sage, who would have access to: Lucid Dreaming, Refresh, Natural Font (At a RDPS loss), Meditation (A huge personal loss) and Delta Attack (Reduced MP), MP costs are going to be higher than Red Mage, but lower than Black Mage. Ideally, Refresh would be an optional pick up (But honestly it's 'mandatory' even now when Sage isn't a thing). A Sage's basic set up would then be building of Stacks to a median point, then utilizing Instant Casts for a burst and reset to maintain MP while cooldowns are cycling through.

The change to Mana Shift also allows the possibility for Casters to play a larger role in the party, by being able to gift Diversion, Lucid Dreaming, Surecast, and Swiftcast to allies. The Sage can make use of extras of most of those to be allowed more liberal use of their Overdrives and staying at maximum Spell Level.

As for Metamagic costs, perhaps a Flat-additional MP cost, then modified by unique Spell modifiers, would work better.

And I felt Leylines as a name is a more than appropriate category of abilities, because that's what they are. The Sage is a wide practitioner of magic, across many disciplines. Where the Black mage sees leylines for selfish use to fuel their magics, the Sage sees them as what they are. Simple sources of raw magic that can be a gift as well.

To be quite frank, the only two actions I'm kind of "Meh I don't really like these" are Phantom Blade and Spiral Flux, both for name and effect. Phantom Blade felt like a needed tool for heavier AoE sections (As Shockwave, being an AoE spell, would have much higher base MP costs, and thus higher modified MP costs), and with the leisurely pace the Trait affords Sage, they could have used a movement tool of sorts, but I really don't like either of them. X)

I mean this is an idea that SE can use ofc some terminology can be revised to better suit the game, though nothing stops different classes to draw from similar concepts but taking different spins about it, I mean RDM uses much of WHM and BLM arsenal just adding vermillion before the spellname

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Remedi

I mean this is an idea that SE can use ofc some terminology can be revised to better suit the game, though nothing stops different classes to draw from similar concepts but taking different spins about it, I mean RDM uses much of WHM and BLM arsenal just adding vermillion before the spellname

---

God damnit, is that why the prefix is 'ver', for vermilion?

God. Damn. It.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kabooa

God damnit, is that why the prefix is 'ver', for vermilion?

God. Damn. It.

---

You forgot to start it with Ver! Jeez!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kabooa

God damnit, is that why the prefix is 'ver', for vermilion?

God. Damn. It.

---

Yes they revealed it shortly after SB launch or before 4.1 in an interwiew