Red Mage

[Duelle]

Red Mage by design uses both White and Black Magic and sword skills, while with the Armoury System Job abilities can not be shared cross class - nor is there any 'doubling up' of abilities between classes either, which would leave the Job with just cross class skills to use (which after all, when cross classed abilities lose their potency that they would have on their native class.

Plus, spells and abilities often associated with the Red Mage (like 'Convert' or 'Doublecast') are already used by other classes and Jobs, meaning it simply wouldn't have anything to really set it apart from other classes and Jobs. Even their weapon type (swords) are already taken by another class (GLA), meaning they're pretty much rendered superfluous I'm sorry to say.

Depends. You can build RDM from the ground up the way they seem to be doing to DRK. Another option would be introducing a class and then tack the job on top (Fencer => RDM).

FFXI had a tiny glimpse of a good direction for RDM when they gave it enspells and phalanx (that the former were left to rot forever is for another discussion). It would be possible to make that the focus of the job (I.E a guy hitting things after enchanting their sword) while still maintaining the offensive/healing magic aspects of the job in other ways (elemental spells with varying effects that react to certain abilities, a heal that costs the RDM HP instead of MP); allowing the job to cross-class Cure, Protect and Raise from CNJ and Blizzard II, Thunder and Sleep from THM would help round things out. This way you have sword, offensive magic and healing magic rolled into one, staying true to the job's concept without treading into the ruination afflicted on the job by FFXI.

As far as weapons, GLA and PLD are Sword&Shield. You can build RDM around rapiers or cavalry sabers and maintain a sort of distinction. I'm partial to rapier because curved swords don't do anything for me.

RDM tank, please look forward to it.

[TruebladeNuke]

Depends. You can build RDM from the ground up the way they seem to be doing to DRK. Another option would be introducing a class and then tack the job on top (Fencer => RDM).

This. They've already shown that they're clearly able to re-work jobs to fit into FFXIV if they have to. In fact, I even suggest that they do that with Red Mage just to stand out from WHM and BLM. A lot of people insist on thinking that a Red Mage wouldn't work because it's a wannabe WHM and BLM with a sword.

... who says Red Mage HAS to function that way in FFXIV?

The way I see Red Mage getting in is as a Battle Mage. AKA, a mage that focuses on being directly in your face rather then spell slinging from a distance. I even suggested to SE that the Red Mage spells be melee based, like conjuring up flaming pillars as an AoE blast surrounding the Red Mage, with no cast time. Maybe even throw out elemental based sword waves consisting of fire and such. People have been clamoring for a sword based DPS class after all this time. Maybe Red Mage could fill those shoes.

"But but but! That would just make it another melee DPS!"

A melee DPS that focuses on intelligence as its primary stat for damage, with perhaps some regular spells to throw out that do have cast times.

And that's just a few ideas. Quite frankly, people need to stop keeping themselves inside the boxes and start thinking outside the box. When it comes to how a job can work in a game, you're quite frankly only limited by your own imagination.

[Arkanethered]

The way I see Red Mage getting in is as a Battle Mage. AKA, a mage that focuses on being directly in your face rather then spell slinging from a distance. I even suggested to SE that the Red Mage spells be melee based, like conjuring up flaming pillars as an AoE blast surrounding the Red Mage, with no cast time.

"But but but! That would just make it another melee DPS!"

You pretty much just described ninja with a new paint job.

[TruebladeNuke]

You pretty much just described ninja with a new paint job.

I didn't respond to this earlier due to the thread going down through the pages anyway and because I didn't think of any good response at the time, but since this thread is now back up here...

If we're going to go by the paint job logic, you may as well extend that to all the melee DPS roles. By adding in all the details, you'll see each one is different:

DRG: Can give a debuff to the enemy and give extra piercing damage buff for both themselves and BRDs.
NIN: Can give a slashing damage buff to themselves, PLDs, and WARs.
MNK: Can decrease the enemy INT via Dragon Kick, and decreases the target's Blunt resistance. (Only works well for themselves right now as I'm aware)

And that wasn't even all the details. Now lets boil away all those little details and get to the point. What's the number one thing they all have in common with each other?

"ZERG RUSH THEIR FACEZ AND KILL THEM ALL! KEKEKEK!" (With proper DPS rotations preferably)

Seriously though, that's the one thing they all have in common with each other. They kill. Up close. Just like that. In this regard, each and every melee DPS role could be described as another melee DPS role with a different coat of paint. So I don't see how Red Mage should be deterred from getting in just because my earlier description example of how a Red Mage could work sounded similar to Ninjas.

Besides, Red Mage would probably bring a different utility debuff to put on the enemy that would make other DPS roles approve of the Red Mage putting up said debuff on the enemy... or even the Healers and Tanks for that matter.