Consumables by Crafters

[Sho86]

I want to start this off by saying I don't expect this to go anywhere other than idle banter, or an idea to entertain. Sometimes other ideas can spark starting from another. I am fully aware how ARR started with the idea in mind of no more consumables, however if they weren't placed in a position that were a defining need, it could work. Considering the current isolation of crafters, I spent an early morning in bed (replace that with CEO room if its not justifiable enough) just thinking of possible ideas for each craft that could get injected to the game. The base idea I was going with were small degradable boosts that could be equipped or spent.



Alchemist - Potions, Phoenix Downs

Starting off with the most obvious one and probably easiest one to change. Potions have been in, and widely used in FF since forever - including XI, another MMO. The change here could be simple really; flip the percentage caps, and remove the HP cap. My example will deal with HP Potions, while MP could change near the same, and stat potions unchanged.

With NQ/HQ respectively:
Potion - 15%/20% 45sec cd
Hi-Potion - 25%/30% 1.5m cd
Mega-Potion - 40%/50% 3m cd
X-Potion - 75%/100% 15m cd

Now the X-pot seems OP, sure, although with a 15m cool-down, you have a single saving throw for a single fight; plus the materials could be very hard to come by, making it rare. The others could get respectively worthy cool-downs, with Potion being as low as maybe 45 seconds, considering its low power (some AoE's can take that much, coupled with the fact of sometimes hit with multiple AoE). A possible exception to the current rule, would be to make X-pot on a separate cool-down, with Pot/Hi/Mega still sharing, and if possible, pops Megas cool-down at the same time. That way they could not use X/Mega back to back, but still have room to use lower grade potions later in the fight, should it last that long.

Phoenix Downs first off would be usable in battle, as they should've been long ago. Keep the 1 per inventory if you must, but this would at least make them usable for the game. Materials could be like X-pot, hard to come by, thus making the player decide if it really is something that should be used at that time. Benefits could go one of two ways for NQ/HQ

1) NQ: 25% HP/MP 10sec Cast
HQ: 50% HP/MP 10sec Cast

2) NQ: 25% HP/MP 10sec Cast
HQ: 25% HP/MP 3sec Cast

The 10 second initial cast time would keep healers Raise spells more optimal and still used, with the only exception being option 2, in which HQ could be geared in a way that is hard to get, making it a costly "swift-cast" item.


Leatherworker - Grips (Melee Jobs) / Weaver - Grips (Magic Jobs)

Yes, the idea would be nearly the same as XI's grips, with some changes. First, they degrade at a faster rate than normal gear, and they are not repairable. The benefits could be in a wide variety ranging from: Main stat(STR etc), secondary (Acc etc), effects (chance to: sleep, silence, para, etc), HP/MP+, plus anything else others could come up with.

The idea would be to keep it as a 'boost', and in essence, for min/max raiders not be needed. Even with these in game, DPS checks could be done without them, these at most would account for minor "human error" or that stray AoE that threw you off your rotation. For casuals (hate this word, but lack of better term), just fun boosts to have and toy with. Some could even be crazy/funny like chance on hit, summons moogle barrage (added effect dmg).


Carpenter/Blacksmith - Arrows/Bullets

Arrows/Bullets would not be needed to use abilities. These in simple words, are just like grips.


Armorer - Grenades

I saw this mentioned in the forums some time ago and thought it could be an interesting idea for a "throw" item; and at its best maybe help alleviate dps loss if your running for a long time in AoE hell. It would use the global cool-down, but would be an instant ground target-able small AoE.

Grenade - Potency NQ:200/HQ:250 1m CD

If at some point elements are brought back into usefulness, this could be added to grenades as well.


Goldsmith - Gas Bombs

Roughly the same as Grenades, except instead of damage, they do instant small AoE status. Sleep/Silence/Stun etc.


Culinarian - Unchanged, has food consumables.

This list is by no means perfect, as some crafts would be used a lot more than others. It is just an idea to help integrate crafting with uses in the game, other than frilly housing or sub-par weapon/armor crafts.

[RukiaFae]

I want all of this

[Canadane]

1.0 did throw items.
I don't think the new dev team really wanted to keep that. It's akin to buying arrows on archer, which was also a thing.

You end up with classes being more expensive to play.

[WellFooled]

I would love, if nothing else with consumables, to see a change to potions. Maybe not the exact suggestions you offered, but something. Right now potions are so ineffective that they might as well not be in the game. Which I think is a shame, because potions are classically a very important mechanic in RPG and FF, but also because Alchemist is a craft now without a purpose.

It seems like they only exist to make mats for other crafts or as the misc craft, where oddball items that don't fit elsewhere go. But if consumables were given more importance, I think the craft would amount to something again.

[Niadissa]

Really good ideas. I think that the CD's and heal percentages would need refined a bit to still be useful. The power level should be good but not so good that it would absolutely be required for normal dungeons to be balanced around them.

[Nalien]

I would love, if nothing else with consumables, to see a change to potions.

You know, I was thinking about the Ninja quests the other day, or any of the quests with NPC Ninjas in actually, where they'll use a special skill (Suiyaku, I think) to heal with... I figure that's just the NPCs using a Potion on you, since they're not mages, but SE could quite easily "fix" Potions by providing every Job with a special skill that better utilizes them (which for Ninja, would be Suiyaku)... Have it work somewhat similarly to Fishing/Baits, in that you can set which Potion to be used (which cannot be changed mid combat), that skill is then modified by both the Potion you set, and your level/item level, meaning your level will boost the strength of a regular Potion to be somewhat more useful, but a Hi-Potion would still be more potent. Whatever you set, it would effectively be the same as having a second Second Wind (for HP Potions, at least), the tier of the Potion would just be the difference between, for example, a 500 potency heal, or a 600 potency heal.

Bonus points if it also means we can now use Potions on other party members (do I need a Mind Potion on healer? No I do not, but my DPS could do with another Intelligence/Strength/Dexterity Potion perhaps!), or actually use Phoenix Downs in combat, which would be balanced, since if you set a Phoenix Down, you're not setting something that could be far more useful.

Encounters might need some adjusting given something like that, but is certainly offers some interesting possibilities... Both for existing consumables, or for potential new ones... It would effectively be one new skill for each Job that we actually get some degree of customization on... Heal HP with it, or MP? Boost stats for a short period, or debuff an enemy? Add in consumable throwing weapons and we've got a new oCGD Shield Lob/Piercing Talon/etc., kinda like a Fuma Shuriken for all. Smoke Bombs? Give everyone a source of -Enmity, could also have the opposite. They could add a lot of stuff with something like this, and it would all be fairly easy to balance, since it would be locked around a single skill.

[Felis]

1.0 did throw items.

I miss Chakrams for PGL/MNK
Every class get a ranged skill as a replacement for the throw items, except PGL/MNK

[Sho86]

1.0 did throw items.
I don't think the new dev team really wanted to keep that. It's akin to buying arrows on archer, which was also a thing.

You end up with classes being more expensive to play.

Yeah I heard some about this, and never saw it for myself so I could not draw experience from that - save other older versions of games like WoW when they had it. My idea was to keep them minimum use and minimum variety, being at a 1m cool-down and on your global; I would hope that would keep from being used as a "need" and more of a "oh hell gotta move" type deal. Although if other ideas could come up for those craft jobs, i'd be game for it too.

I would love, if nothing else with consumables, to see a change to potions. Maube not the exact suggestions you offered, but something. Right now potions are so ineffective that they might as well not be in the game.

I think that the CD's and heal percentages would need refined a bit to still be useful.

None of my examples were meant to be in stone. It was a quick 10 minute write up that I would hope to hydaelyn would be refined if it ever saw the light of day in game. For those who like working with numbers and exacts, I'd love to see more fine tuned examples and ideas. All in all, I'm just trying to get ideas flowing and see if maybe something could catch for the Devs to glance at if one idea caught popularity, not just what I wrote. Nalien's got a good idea too for that matter.

[KaedrianLiang]

buying arrows on archer, which was also a thing.

You end up with classes being more expensive to play.

They removed consumable ammunition from archer as an excuse to nerf it to oblivion and make it a support class.

They also went from cast-time hard hitting shots, where "animation lock death" was a fair exchange to how powerful archer was(1.0) to legolas minigun arrow launcher(2.0) back to cast-time shots that hit like peas(3.0).

Wow. i feel bad for arc/brds they have gone through the most changes and are still nothing compared to what they were in their original 1.0 design.

[MihaelB]

Would be interesting if anything, think there's a very long list of things that would have a higher priority :P