Part Lore, Part Gameplay Question: Why Sage & not Green Mage? Balancing the 4th slot

[Wawachume]

Ironically we already have a heavily Sharlayan-linked healing class. To the point that I'm expecting we'll re-encounter a certain villain if we go there.

Now I'm wondering whether he still has the ability to manipulate time.

[Eloah]

Green Mage is already part of SCH's identity, just like AST involves Time Mage.

Green Mage isn't a part of SCH. They added the healing properties of SMN to the already existing properties of the SCH job. If you look at past SCHs in the series most of them function like a RDM but with more emphasis on magic. The only "new" aspect XIV added is the pet. Otherwise the SCH job has always been good at offensive and defensive magic and finding enemy weaknesses (Libra/Chain Stratagem).

[Deceptus]

DRK used to be a DPS in previous Final Fantasies, they're a tank in FFXIV.

Sage had dps elements before, they're a healer in FFXIV.

Not that hard to understand.

[Seraphor]

Green Mage isn't a part of SCH. They added the healing properties of SMN to the already existing properties of the SCH job. If you look at past SCHs in the series most of them function like a RDM but with more emphasis on magic. The only "new" aspect XIV added is the pet. Otherwise the SCH job has always been good at offensive and defensive magic and finding enemy weaknesses (Libra/Chain Stratagem).

That's Green Magic. It's the same thing.
Green Magic has only existed in one game, and in that iteration, it took status magic from White/Black/Time. It consolidated all of the status magic. Green Mage = Status Mage.
That's what SCH does, it uses status magic to debuff enemies and support the party, with some healing magic thrown in from it's III iteration. That's why the previous versions of it had things like leeches, silent dusk and fey caress. That's why it had two DoTs. It was a status focused job, that revolved around preventing and curing (and causing) sickness, as opposed to WHM's more direct form of 'healing wounds'. Not to mention the colour scheme.
It's also part Orator as well, with many skills deriving their names from battle cries that imbue their enhancements by raising the moral of the party or instilling fear into the enemy.

Just as AST is a combination of Gambler, Astrologer and Time Mage, SCH is a combination of Scholar, Green Mage and Orator.

Also SMN doesn't typically have healing properties... you're thinking about certain games where the female deuteragonist is a combination of Summoner and White Mage aren't you?
Or do you just mean the classic healing summons Faerie and Seraph? In which case... obviously.

Arcanist as a class is essentially a combination of Summoner and Green Mage. Summon magic plus Status magic. SMN itself takes this to the next level by doubling down on offensive summons and minimal party support, while SCH takes the few healing summons and throws in more status magic using the aesthetics and themes of Scholar and Orator. But at the core, it's status magic, which is Green magic.

[Iscah]

Now I'm wondering whether he still has the ability to manipulate time.

He still has it in the AST quests, so yes.

Honestly it makes more sense now that players don't have access to time-manipulation skills. It's advanced magic and a sign of how powerful he is compared to us, and the other characters seem amazed at the sheer thought of it. It doesn't work so well when we've been casting Time Dilation or whatever it was for several levels by that point.

[Teno]

Just from a name perspective, we have white mage, black mage, red mage, blue mage. Lots of "color" mages already. It could have confused people not familiar with traditional FF jobs. And green mage sure wouldn't have hyped me as much as sage.

[Brandedblade]

I'm just gonna be that guy and put it this way. It's a Sage instead of a Green Mage because Sage just sounds cool.

You're a wise and enlightened individual (one of the main definitions of Sage outside of FF games) who's so wise and enlightened you literally wield Smart Rocks (essentially what the Latin and/or Greek roots for "Nouliths" means) as your weapon of choice. And you're such a wise and enlightened dude that you can shoot lasers and create barriers with your Smart Rocks.

[lbr]

i'd take green mage if its main form of damage is hitting things with a big club

[Bright-Flower]

White, black, red and blue mage have more solidified identities where as green mage seems to have forged one by taking stuff normally associated with other jobs. In addition, it simply hasn't been in many games, partly for this reason.

Honestly I think we have enough colored mages in the game as is, I like Sage as a name a lot more even if it's not 100% like previous incarnations of the job.