Dear weapon designers, books are the most boring weapon

[Renalt]

Much like my quote says...words were another weapon for the man that wielded them well...

and I'm proud to say I've beaten Ifrit to death with nothing but auto attacks on my scholar.

[SenorPatty]

i dont even play SMN but my favorit SMN weapon is the Ktisis one... its so trippy like. holy

(also impressivly done)
it basically is a normal book when folded, but wait, when you draw it you can SEE Trough the Cover(and back cover) and see a floating "crystal"(its not a crystal, but a Diamond shaped 3d object)
BUT WAIT; if you look at it from above your characters should, not only is the Crystal still there, but you ALSO see that you CANT see trough...



on a different note. I kinda disagree that "books arent fitting for SMN" But i am also very unfamiliar with Final fantasy as a whole, and while i KNOW that it isnt how it works in XIV as well.... i personally always connect Summoning(and arcane knowledge) with summoning circles, or incantations, or using the books inate magic to invoke something.


Like for me, using Grimoires is just as fitting as you can be for Arcanist and in extension SMN

See for me, books aren't animated enough when you're summoning. When you're attacking, sure you see your chr prop his arms forward with the book, then you see the spell hurl ahead but summon in itself? Carbuncle has the whole inscribing in a book thing, which looks good. But other summons need more oopmh. Something like your book levitates in the air and some big arcane circle appears beneath you. Or pages start to flip rapidly and thr book starts glowing in the color of the corresponding summon brighter and brighter until it burst. Or even copying the same book animation from the owl boss from the Great Gubal Library would make it look like I'm invoking something from the ground.

But right now? Just feels like the book is paperweight rather than an indispensable tool.

EDIT: Speaking of Grimoires, my favorite one from all the FF series, at least in appearance, is the one from FFTA2, the one that the antagonist Illua carries at her side. Its all chained up and it just looks badass. I'd post an image here but I'm on the phone and it's kind of a lot of work just to paste it here.

[Deveryn]

See for me, books aren't animated enough when you're summoning. When you're attacking, sure you see your chr prop his arms forward with the book, then you see the spell hurl ahead but summon in itself? Carbuncle has the whole inscribing in a book thing, which looks good. But other summons need more oopmh. Something like your book levitates in the air and some big arcane circle appears beneath you. Or pages start to flip rapidly and thr book starts glowing in the color of the corresponding summon brighter and brighter until it burst. Or even copying the same book animation from the owl boss from the Great Gubal Library would make it look like I'm invoking something from the ground.

But right now? Just feels like the book is paperweight rather than an indispensable tool.

EDIT: Speaking of Grimoires, my favorite one from all the FF series, at least in appearance, is the one from FFTA2, the one that the antagonist Illua carries at her side. Its all chained up and it just looks badass. I'd post an image here but I'm on the phone and it's kind of a lot of work just to paste it here.

Have you summoned Bahamut or Phoenix yet? or the level 90 triad? There's plenty of oomph. Page flipping sounds all well and good, but it would likely get lost in all that's going on. There's also the fact that everything is instant cast. Hardcast rez might be the only spot for something like page flipping.

[Raikai]

Have you summoned Bahamut or Phoenix yet? or the level 90 triad? There's plenty of oomph. Page flipping sounds all well and good, but it would likely get lost in all that's going on. There's also the fact that everything is instant cast. Hardcast rez might be the only spot for something like page flipping.

That's exactly why I think books aren't that fitting for SMNs... The job today is far more dynamic with all the instant casts, and even gap closer of all things.

Maybe if the book was animated differently, perhaps I would have another opinion on that.

[Brightamethyst]

That's why this many years later the FFXIII event book is still my all time favorite.

[HyonaCookie]

I quite like books as a weapon, But I don't get why SCH and SMN can't have more distinguished designs. WHM and BLM basically share the same weapon, yet I don't think they once had same weapon designs. I would like if the weapon designers could do the same for books too.
Or let SCH have sole custody of books. Either works.

[Vahlnir]

I quite like books as a weapon, But I don't get why SCH and SMN can't have more distinguished designs. WHM and BLM basically share the same weapon, yet I don't think they once had same weapon designs. I would like if the weapon designers could do the same for books too.
Or let SCH have sole custody of books. Either works.

Relics seem to give more distinct appearances, but beyond that it could go either way. I wouldn't have an issue with them focusing more on making SMN and SCH books more unique.

[Raikai]

I quite like books as a weapon, But I don't get why SCH and SMN can't have more distinguished designs. WHM and BLM basically share the same weapon, yet I don't think they once had same weapon designs. I would like if the weapon designers could do the same for books too.
Or let SCH have sole custody of books. Either works.

If it was to my charge, I would make SMN arms more in the spirit of the thread OP (unorthodox concepts), and indeed let SCH keep the more traditional book designs.

The copy paste books between the two jobs might have an excuse under Arcanist or something, but to me it just reads as an easy way to cut off work.

[hagare]

in other news.
What book has different content? Different scriblings than usual

[Raikai]

in other news.
What book has different content? Different scriblings than usual

That is also a good point, given the inside of a book is very visible from the player's perspective.

In my memory the most different might some of the Far Eastern ones with Doman writing, but other than that, they don't really go very far in that aspect.