Making WAR More Diverse/Fun Again

[Gamemako]

Why would they be problems? Who's to say RDM couldn't be an off-tank with magic?

I assume you mean hybrid here, since a second tank job would be redundant. Problem is, you've stepped far beyond hybrid utility with the number of slots given to the task. Only 7/17 are innately useful to the DPS job, and that's your primary task. You only have 5 job slots to carve out an entirely different role. Remember that the job must be focused on DPS. There are very, very few situations where an additional tank is useful already, so it's just a utility you give 2-4 slots. Anything more is just a gimped job that is totally unwanted for 99% of content.

A Red Mage in particular means spellcasting is important, and GLA has neither the stats nor the skillset for this. Equipment is STR-focused and weapons have low magic damage, so you'd need an entirely new set of equipment with INT/MIND, and you still can't cross-class damage spells because you're a DoW. You can come up with a few cheap ways of extending your slots (e.g. make Flash into 3 attack spells via 3 elemental stance then add second and third proc abilities to get 9 spells out of it instead of 5), but you have to stretch pretty hard.

This is why I detest ACN and SMN and how they both feel so completely wrong compared to not just their XI counter parts but throughout the series (well, just 3 in SCH's case but XI's was such a brilliant, masterful rendition of what was originally a deadbeat job that was only valid for literally 1 fight in the whole game).

What you want is a job that is focused on its pet. This has nothing to do with the Armory system it at all. SMN is DoT-focused because a pure pet focus is untenable in XIV's design. It's not only boring as hell, it's a balance issue due to the prevalence of movement.

It also precludes BLU for 2 reasons:

It really doesn't preclude a Blue Mage at all. 5 job slots, set 5 abilities learned from enemies, call it a day. It's not even difficult to do. We already slot abilities learned from other jobs, and abilities learned from monsters would technically just require nothing more than the addition of one tab. There are many ways to do Blue Mage already.

Like RDM, it's traditionally a sword user

No, it's not. It's more a gimmick than a job and uses all sorts of weapons.

V: Knives, weak swords, staffs, rods
VI: Rods, maces, daggers (Strago)
VII: Anything (Materia)
VIII: Whip (Quistis)
IX: Fork (Quina)
X: Lance (Khimari)
X-2: Gun (Gun Mage)
XI: Scimitar
TA/2: Saber

Well, that doesn't really mesh at all with the armory system as it currently exists. And unless they introduce a subset of swords (sabers/rapiers) I don't see how RDM could be based on anything but GLD

The weapon class is "One-handed Gladiator's Arm". Given the distinction between CNJ crooks/staves and THM rods/scepters, it's not exactly hard to draw a distinction and create a new weapon set.