Summoner and BLM differences

[TinyRedLeaf]

No worries, it's not a bother. I'd just like to point out that role-playing is just something I do on the side while playing the game. I don't really take it all that seriously. It's just more fun to imagine my character as a real person with real motivations.

And as an old-school table-top RPG gamer, I'm not averse to waving away any part of the "canonical" story that doesn't quite make sense to me.

[AspectOfWinter]

snip

Okay, so now that I've argued to death Miranda's background, it's time I told you about the real dilemma I am facing.

For gameplay purposes, I intend to level all three classes to 50. For RPing purposes, right now I am most leaning towards Summoner as being the Job that most "fits" Miranda. Unfortnately, IMO Summoner is only 1/2 a Job, given that most if not all Summoners from previous FFs were also some other Job (Yuna and Garnet were combination WHM/SMN, while Rydia was also a BLM). And even if Scholar doesn't HAVE to be a warmonger per se as many others have pointed out, my problem is that Miranda probably would not be interested in becoming one - she is ultimately allied with the Scions, and not the Maelstrom, so for her to remain an adventurer would pretty much defeat the purpose of becoming a Scholar, since their arcane geometries were designed around providing protection and giving direction to Marauder units.

So as far as I'm concerned I have 3 options:

1. Canon Archmage: From what I can see and others have said, lorewise it is very difficult, if not impossible, for a single adventurer to canonically level all three DoM classes to 50. My justification would be that the Echo granted Miranda mastery over magic to a higher extent than other adventuers, and the Soul Crystals allow her to switch between them at will, but I still think this is kind of pushing Mary Sue territory.

2. SMN/BLM hybrid: Both of these Jobs share the same cross-class abilities and Limit Break, and the BLM story has a lot of things about it that I like. The beastmen you meet are more accepting of you than the WHM Padjals and pave the way for the other beastmen quests, and the Archer subclass also would fit Miranda's background, if she initially wanted to be an Archer but dropped out due to Silviarre's abusiveness. The irony, of course, would be that the THM guild is located in, and worships the deity of, the city that most blatantly embodies the attitudes Miranda is resentful of.

3. Being only a SMN for now, and getting a secondary job a couple years down the road in an unreleased DoM Job: This is risky, as I've not only exhausted the sidequests to level those first three, but there's no guarantee that Red Mage or Geomancer or whatever they release would, in fact, be fitting.

So, TinyRedLeaf, as an avid roleplayer which one would you most recommend?

[Urthdigger]

I don't see it as very Mary-Sueish to have all three leveled to 50, but that's partly from how I see it. Being level 50 doesn't mean you're the most powerful caster around. It merely means you're very good at its combat applications, to the best that an all-around adventurer can be. Key aspects of this are that you only utilize what has come before you, you're not researching new techniques. You're also relatively untrained in the other aspects such as military strategy or quieting ceremonies. It is the higher ups in your guild that are the true master wizards, so mastering all three is less like being an archmagus with unparalleled mastery of magic, and more akin to a well-traveled explorer who's learned several languages.

Another thing to keep in mind is that it's more than just the soul crystals restricting you from utilizing all three at once. Magic requires more than just the knowledge of how to cast it, you also need the right focus. For a WHM, this is a wooden focus, the more natural the better, for communing with elementals. For a BLM, this is an ornate and expensive focus as befitting the greedy religion of Nald'thal. Finally, for both Arcanist jobs you aren't using the book just to remind yourself. Rather, it's the geometries written in special ink designed for channeling aether that you use, with a book being your medium because it's more handy to carry around than a stick covered with all those designs. With your book in hand, you can only do the most rudimentary conjury and thaumaturgy, the kind that does not require a focus.

[AspectOfWinter]

One other thing I forgot to mention, is that Miranda is more philosophical in nature than practical. So on second thought, she might find Thaumaturgy or Conjury a more "natural" way of casting spells.

It seems to me like having to make difficult calculations for your every spell would be nothing but a liability in the heat of battle...

[TinyRedLeaf]

I recommend that you pick whichever option seems the most fun when you're playing the game! That's not meant to be a flippant answer: It really doesn't make sense to let role-playing restrictions limit the way you play.

I can't really say what would be best for Miranda. All I can say is what I've described earlier: Lyland found a lot of similarities between conjury and summoning, but realised that he needed to rely on thaumaturgic techniques of aetheric manipulation to excel at the revived Allagan art.

Culturally, he's at odds with Ul'dah's vulgar materialism and with Gridania's conservatism. After all, he's a "mage-scientist" at heart, and he places great value on free inquiry into any and all kinds of phenomena (that's how I rationalise his dabbling in thaumaturgy and conjury).

That's the same approach he took to "scholar magic". Bear in mind that, in my personal version of FFXIV's story, Lyland is currently busy with his research into the revived Allagan art of summoning. But, at the same time, he regrets having lagged behind in arcanima. So, the chance to study another ancient form of magic proved a welcome break. And the similarities between Nymian magic and arcanima were an added bonus.

[AspectOfWinter]

Well, like I said, I play all four Jobs for purposes of gameplay enjoyment and adaptability. Thus, it is a very tough decision as to which one or two are "canon" for Miranda RP wise.

I would say I like Summoner the best in terms of gameplay, but at first glance BLM seems to best fit her theme, especially since Archer would be justified as a subclass as far as Miranda's background story goes.

Then again, Arcanist would be better in terms of having guildmates Miranda could trust outside of the Scions. Decisions, decisions!