Can we please stop with Cutscenes where we just stand around?

[EdwinLi]

But even then, how much more involved is this going to be than the story's usual go-to of having the WoL draw their weapon and then either going into in-game combat or cutting to another focus character in the scene? Is this going to somehow need five entirely different iterations of a scene where each job can do something relevant to their skillset (remembering that said skillsets include healing and tanking), that all amount to nothing afterwards because they all have to end with the same results? What happens if someone pulls up this cutscene as, say, a Carpenter?

It is not as complicated as you think.

Since 4.0, they had some very specific animations done based on your role.

As a Example, when Y'shtola was injured during Stormblood, they had a very specific Healer Job scene where the WoL is asked to help heal her if WoL is any Healer Job instead of trying to stop the bleeding if they are not Healers.

Here is a example of a not real cutscene....

WoL is put into a Hostage situation where WoL and NPC X will need to save NPC Y from antagonist but WoL does not have enough time to draw his/her weapon.

NPC Y is injured and the antagonist is about to strike at him/her.

NPC X is about to strike at the Antagonists but need the Antagonist to be distracted some how so he does not kill NPC Y.

This is where the Job Role event changes the cutscene based on the Job Role....

If WoL is....

Tank => WoL jumps infront of the Antagonist attack and Tanks the blow for NPC Y. Thus saving NPC Y from being killed and WoL is knocked back to where he/she was before.

Physical Range DPS => WoL quickly grabs a rock nearby and use his/her aiming skills as a Physical Range job to hit the Antagonist on the head resulting in the Antagonist being dazed to stop his attack on NPC Y.

Melee DPS => WoL use his/her Strength/Dexterity to rush at the antagonist and punch the antagonist so he is Dazed to stop his attack on NPC Y. The Antagonist knock WoL back to where he orignal location.

Magic Range DPS => Without being able to use the weapon as a Focus, WoL can only cast a small explosive magic attack to hit Antagonist which cause him to get daze a bit and stop his attack on NPC Y.

Healer => WoL heals NPC Y so he/she recover enough strength to counter the Antagonist attack and cause the antagonist to be dazed a bit by the sudden event.

After that, the scene still plays out the same but the Antagonist will comment a bit about how annoying WoL is only to realize too late that WoL was distracting him long enough for NPC X to strike and save NPC Y.

NPC X strikes at the Antagonist then the rest is just following scriped events.