Really want a magic tank

[Seraphor]

A problem I don\\'t think I see come up in these discussions often enough is the stats/gear predicament. Current tanks are based on VIT/STR. That\\'s what their gear has. Creating a new tank that strays from that build necessitates new gear. More gear to roll on in every dungeon/raid. More gear to clog up the roll and keep you from getting the pieces you want. The more jobs they make with more different stat builds requiring more gear sets is more development time on items each patch. More gear means more inventory space...

Many classes have physical attacks need on Int, or magical attacks based on Str. There\\'s no need to force a magic tank into a new set of gear.
Especially considering that Blue Mages have often been more physically oriented, wielding spears and swords over rods and books.

If like I\\'ve suggested they reimagibed Blue Mage as a sort of magitek knight, all the existing heavy armour will work just fine.

[Rongway]

If like I\\'ve suggested they reimagibed Blue Mage as a sort of magitek knight, all the existing heavy armour will work just fine.

I liked the first part of this post, but then you went back to heavy armor tanks.

We have enough heavy armor tanks. We need the next tank to be anything but a heavy armor tank.
It's okay to put a mage tank in mage robes. Because magic.

[Jandor]

I liked the first part of this post, but then you went back to heavy armor tanks.

We have enough heavy armor tanks. We need the next tank to be anything but a heavy armor tank.
It's okay to put a mage tank in mage robes. Because magic.

There seem to be two realistic/likely options, it has a new gear set or it uses Fending gear. You could theoretically share with existing casters, but those pieces lack a lot of VIT in comparison to tank gear.

I'd much rather it use Fending than have to farm up another set, the seven we have already is two too many.

[Rongway]

You could theoretically share with existing casters, but those pieces lack a lot of VIT in comparison to tank gear.

This is only a problem because people deem it to be so; it doesn't need to be. There are plenty of ways to work around that. Damage reduction traits, HP inflation traits, shield/soak pools. Mage tanks in caster gear are not this completely impossible thing that everyone keeps making them out to be. Let's stop pidgeonholing the tank role into heavy darksteel barrels.

[Jandor]

This is only a problem because people deem it to be so; it doesn't need to be. There are plenty of ways to work around that. Damage reduction traits, HP inflation traits, shield/soak pools. Mage tanks in caster gear are not this completely impossible thing that everyone keeps making them out to be. Let's stop pidgeonholing the tank role into heavy darksteel barrels.

The most straightforward solution would be to give the caster tank the following trait:

Robes are cool: Can glamour caster gear over Fending gear.

[Slamexo]

Honestly, impracticalities aside I think a puppet/projection tank would be a really fun thing to try out purely from a "what would be fun to play" perspective.

You'd probably piss off a lot of roulette groups in the learning process though.