How would you design Red Mage in FFXIV?

[Musashidon]

The problem is that there's no other way for it to actually work if you want it to be a melee+magic job.

i personally (and this is just my personal opinion) would rather have no redmage than some randomly made class with redmage job crystal slapped onto it.

redmage is a job that will never be mmo friendly because if made to well it would be the only needed class and if not made well enough it will be useless, then you got redmage with things a redmage wouldn't have and i don't want that at all.

[Duelle]

i personally (and this is just my personal opinion) would rather have no redmage than some randomly made class with redmage job crystal slapped onto it.

When you make the transition to MMORPG from RPG, there are concepts that will have to adapt or be dropped entirely. I've seen what mimicking FF1's Red Mage got us, and being told I was a hybrid only to find myself spamming the same 3 spells while having token enfeebles AND a bad reputation for having the potential to solo content that was not intended to be soloed simply tells me the job concept was not adapted. I know it can be done because I have seen properly designed melee/magic hybrids at play, so it's a matter of giving feedback, suggestions and in the case of our beloved pimp-hat-wearing magic fencer, pray that FFXIV's developers are aware of the discussions, threads and ideas for RDM design that have been tossed at SE since 2007.

[Musashidon]

well honestly my thoughts about it is the name and the iconic class behind it, yes a hybrid of everything would be pretty doable but i and that's a big *I* don't want a new redmage i like redmage how it is and if it wouldn't work in here without changing and making it not a redmage anymore i don't want it. pretty selfish i guess but i wouldn't want a redmage with new abilities or skills it just wouldn't be a redmage to me it would be a new job with a old name.

so if anything i will say this i merely comment about don't touch redmage keep it the same simply to state my personal views and lets se always know at least 1 person doesn't want it to change.
i hope nothing is taken as rude or anything of the sort i would love a new unique hybrid class as long as it didn't take the name, and even if they did make a redmage and changed it i wouldn't be that upset it just means se did what they thought was best.

[Eidolon]

A respectable position, Musashidon. You at least acknowledge that you're only wanting it to stay one way because you don't want to see it any other, and I can honestly respect that.

On the flip side, since this IS a fan service game, there WILL be a Red Mage. It's too much of an iconic class for the developers to pass it up, so we both know they'll add it in eventually (Just like Samura, Ninja, and Muskateer.)

The real question remains is how they will implement it, and whether or not people will enjoy the class. It's going to be hard for the devs to figure out, but I am wishing them luck.

[lololink]

Red mage => Tank
Have 6 abilities, one for each element , flametongue, windblade, icebrand, thunderstrike, and no idea for water and earth.
Each ability would have a different power:
Fire => AoE enmity
Ice => 1 target enmity
Thunder => damages
Wind => skill speeds
Earth => damage reduction
Water => healing
Lvl 30 job ability => Release, each elemental strike gives 1 stack of this element , at 3 stacks the you can use Release to release the magic and cast an instant spell :
3 Fire => Flare, deals AoE damages and enmity
3 Wind => Tornado, deals damages to the target and reduces her aim
3 Ice => gives enmity, reduces the damages of the target.
3 Thunder => High damages to 1 target and apply a DoT
3 Earth => earthquake, Gives a shield, reducing damages
3 Water => Flood, increases Healing Ability
Water + Earth + Wind => Astral Surge => Gives additional magical protection and inflict Blind to the target
Fire + Thunder + Ice => Umbral Surge => Inflict Blind to all the ennemies.

Hexa protect => reduces damages taken by 20% and gives increase enmity.

[Laf]

20 variations of "refresh" skill

[File2ish]

I'd prefer to have it be a DPS role branching from a Fencer class, preferably a hybrid job. But tank would be acceptable if it branched off from Gladiator I guess.

If from fencer no shields, maybe off hand (if any) is a parry dagger (like a main gauche). Relic is Murgleis. If off hand included (like PLD), maybe Terpsichore if Dancer is never added to the game (otherwise Mandau or something).

All this is assuming from a Fencer class, not Gladiator:

Job Abilities:
-Enspell - ability like PLD's Sword Oath (add's X amount of potency to auto attack). Make it use MP per tick (like Bard songs). Enspell element changes per skill use (next section).
-Dualcast/Chainspell - Next spell casts twice, double MP use. 1 min Cooldown
-Refresh - I don't want to be a "refresh" mage, but yeah. Maybe only recovers 20% total MP, not instant, 2 minute CD (like Shroud of Saints). Can apply to party members.
-Composure - Self buff, makes other self buffs lasts 3 times as long and 3 times as potent if applicable (ability from FFXI =p), does NOT apply to Protect nor spells cast on you from other players. (Note: I don't have stoneskin listed as a cross class, 30% SS would be cheap as hell). 5min CD.
-Blink - Adds 3 shadows, chance to avoid a hit directed at you while up. Any AoE eats all shadows AND hits you so dodging is imperitive. Composure applies.


Fencer's offensive abilities include Froststrike and the like (like Ravager abilities in XIII). Skill combos like MNK and DRG. Froststrike (base, like fastblade) -> Flamestrike (higher damage, maybe a self buff, say faith (int+) and/or bravery(str+) for 5 seconds), Sparkstrike (highest damage, applies 40 potency 8 second DoT, crit DoT adds short paralyze, immunity builds). Also Aerostrike (adds 15 potency 18 second DoT) -> Aquastrike (Low damage, MP recover like riot blade). Non GCD -> Stonecudgel [can't think of a name] (Low damage blunt attack-- pacify, determination down, or stun), 30 second recast, like WAR and DRG stuns. Maybe add other abilities for like blind and paralyze.

THM/CNJ cross class. Fire/Blizzard/Thunder/Swiftcast/Surecast from THM, Stone/Cure/Aero/Raise/Protect from CNJ. Fire/Blizzard with no Astral/Umbral, Thunder, and Stone and Cure is where dualcast comes in. Swiftcast+dualcast= 2 instant fires or stones for extra damage to plug in between cooldowns, not main source of damage. Or two instant cures on self or a party member, cures would be as potent as a PLD/BLM/SMN's probably since this build would likely focus on STR and INT.

[Shujinkou]

Jack of all trades

[RaideDuku]

RDM would be a melee dps primarily. It would have physical attacks, and nuking magic. If certain physical attacks are done in a certain order, then a certain magic attack, the magic attack gains potency and perhaps some sort of debuff/dot on the enemy or buff on the RDM and/or party. They would also get a couple of healing spells. One that's fairly weak but could be recast quickly (kind of like a SMN's Physick), and one that can be used only rarely but is more substantial. (maybe just once during a boss battle) The cures would need to be balanced so that they're not good enough to function as a true healer, but strong enough to be noticed. The small heals are just to save the healers a little MP, and the big heal is the RDM's "Oh S**t, the party's dying" button (like a SMN's Raise) The physical combo thing could work into these, too. Perhaps using the right combo would make the heals party wide as opposed to single target.

It'd probably have to be balanced so RDM do a bit less damage compared to full melee DPS, but gain extra utility though their heals in exchange. I think this would be the best way to have the Red Mages in this game reflect what they're supposed to be about, which is a jack of all trades, but a master of none, but still have them be desirable for parties.

[Jamez82]

Two words...
Cleric Stance.