Am I bad for actually "tanking"?

[Februs]

A lot of people are saying as though the additional Hp is a bad thing, but I hope you realize that it's really not. Don't get me wrong. They're not incorrect to point out that there is a minimum Hp ceiling that is required for content, and that going past that point is widely unnecessary. To my knowledge, the current minimum Hp for a Tank is around 16 k. After reaching that point, it can be more efficient to start focusing on Str ... but there's really nothing wrong with having more Hp.

You specified Pld in your OP. Pld's have abysmal Dps regardless of whether or not they are using full Vit or full Str. If the Dps are having trouble meeting Dps checks without the tiny difference made by Str, then the problem is with the Dps, not you. The bottom line is that, whereas everyone can and should contribute to Dps checks, those checks are the responsibility of the Dps. They should not need the Tank to carry them through it.

There is also a trade off in sacrificing your Hp for Dps. Strictly speaking, Pld's have enough baseline Hp on their job that they can easily swap Vit with Str and still meet the 16k Hp line, but you will also lose party mitigation. Divine Veil's barrier effect scales up to 10% of the PLD's Hp, not the target's Hp. Meaning that the lower Hp you have, the weaker the barrier. AoE mitigation for the party goes down. Cover, also, is less efficient, because Pld's take increased Dmg from covering a player with a lower defense rating. It's can be mitigated, but having a higher Hp pool is easier to work with.

Unfortunately, the current Tank meta is not designed for this kind of tanking. Everything is geared to Dps, rather than mitigation. So, in a lot of instances, you'll find that having higher Dps is better than mitigating more dmg, especially since most Dps are scrubs and can't meet checks on their own. However, there's nothing wrong with focusing on mitigation rather than Dps, especially as a Pld. Pld's are not kitted to burst dmg like Wars and Drks. Having extra Str is by far the least noticeable on a Pld. What's more important for Pld is knowing when and where you can and should be dropping Oath, not how many Str accessories you have.