Quote Originally Posted by Archwizard View Post
No, this thread is about critically examining Geomancer and Chemist as suggestions, specifically. More accurately, why I think they would be terrible picks for a future healing job, and why I am tired of seeing them lazily recycled as half-baked suggestions.
I'll start by saying that something's gonna have to give. The FF roster of jobs is very short on potential healers, as most concepts aside from White Mage have focused on dealing damage. As such, a known job being retooled to fit the role of healer is not outside the realm of possibility (in fact, I dreaded the devs doing this to RDM for that very reason).
Geomancer
Geomancy could be treated as one of those cases where similar ideas came about in two different locations despite no connections between either. Man's relation to the land and the elements may have developed one way in Gridania and another in the Far East (kind of like the notion that swords and armor were developed by different cultures in different ways because of available materials and other factors).

The alternative would be a missing link between both approaches to dealing with the elements, which also has a good amount of mileage. This is, of course, assuming we want to focus on the land/spirits aspect, as opposed to the feng shui/fortune aspect (which, as far as I can tell, is a FFXI thing).
I suppose it follows for many that with such parallels, they would have similar toolkits… right?
Within a hypothetical healing role? Not necessarily. A good while before Stormblood was announced, I toyed with using really early conjuring (like, as soon as people started moving out of Gelmorra) as the aforementioned missing link between Conjurers as we know them and Geomancers as I suggested them, with some very basic similarities between them but both healers growing in completely different directions (CNJ/WHM being focused on direct healing and purification, GEO calling on the elements to enhance and protect; admittedly, I based that idea on WoW's resto shaman).
However, these parallels don’t mean that Geomancer would be a waste to create provided its tools were used in a unique manner, such as a separate role. Geomancer would be an excellent opportunity to delve into the uses of offensive elemental magic that White Mage has distanced itself from, particularly with its emphasis on Holy spells with Shadowbringers.
This point I'll grant you, as FFXI's Geomancer proved you can given them distinct uses of elemental magic, which could be developed further with additional mechanics.
Chemist is best known for two particular abilities: enhancing the effectiveness of consumable items they use, and Mix, the ability to combine consumables for unique or more potent effects.
Let's not forget FFT's Item User/アイテム士, which is the core of some of the idea's I've seen for Chemist. Limiting yourself to Mix just because it was in older FFs is not a good idea in the long run.
Chemist wouldn’t actually be limited to effects related to consumables
This is a no-brainer seeing how classes built on consumables are a pain since you have to design the consumables and means with which to include crafters, on top of having to keep new additions and consumables in mind for future expansions.
although I would consider that the first nail in its coffin, considering the most basic and iconic element of the job would be entirely ignored in its creation.
This approaches the level of nonsense I've seen with regard to BLU ("if it can't have stupidly overpowered spells (Lv5 Petrify, Lv5 Death, Tail Screw, Doom) we can't call it a blue mage").
  • A non-magical healer that uses pharmaceutical science, and maybe even technology!
  • A potion-throwing instant/non-MP healer!
  • Use Mix to heal or buff allies!
The first point is valid purely in terms of aesthetics. Everyone in the current healer roster waves their hands and makes sparkly lights restore the green bars. It'd be nice to have something that is different in concept.

The second point is difficult to justify now because they removed TP as a resource. Sadly, what comes with this is that if you design it around abilities you have a healer that never goes OOM. If you try to limit them via ability cooldowns, they risk becoming unreliable because if they have the wrong abilities on cooldown at the wrong time, the tank dies and/or the group wipes.

The third point doesn't have to be Mix copied 1:1 from the console games. Then again, Mix as a copy of Mudras is not what I would have in mind for Chemist.
Here’s the thing: “A potion-throwing healer” is an aesthetic. It dictates the particle effects on your abilities and little else. An aesthetic alone is not enough to design or balance a job, but next to none of the threads that use the “Chemist = healer” buzzwords actually give any in-depth consideration on its gameplay
It indeed is an aesthetic, and the idea behind it is not without merit. Having played an unconventional healer before (Merc/Bodyguard Bounty Hunter in SWTOR), I have an appreciation for healers with gameplay that does not involve waving your hands to heal wounds. I'm sure there are others who wouldn't mind a healer that was away from what we've seen with WHM/SCH/AST.
A “non-magical” healing job would either have to facilitate the creation of a subcategory of Disciple of War with its own role actions and unique gearing from other healers
This is one of the problems with Role Actions that are rarely considered. That said, if you told me to make it work while keeping everything else as is, I'd bunch it with the ranged (a healer with Head/Arm/Leg Graze and Peloton would be so OP /s ) and give it unique versions of what we consider baseline healer skills. So instead of getting Esuna, they get an ability called "Max Remedy". Instead of Repose they get "Tranquilizer Dart" (especially if they get some sort of firearm as their weapon). Instead of getting Rescue, they get "Propel" (animation would be CHM throwing a bottle filled with a volatile chemical under target party member; the bottle explodes and launches the party member to the CHM).

I do acknowledge this would involve bending some of the current design rules the devs follow.
more likely, just be coded as a magical healer anyway to use the same stats on gear, particularly with regards to fight mechanics that diminish healing effects or silence spellcasting.
Debuffs that reduce healing received can be made universal (if they aren't already). I haven't seen much in terms of mobs silencing players aside from overworld mobs with silence effects that have 5s cast times. The other things that interrupt, largely knock-backs and paralyzes, affect both actions and spells so that wouldn't make CHM a special case.

While coding CHM to work with "of healing" gear would require suspension of disbelief, I consider that an absolute last resort.