If NIN was given a change of role...!

[Shougun]

I don't think you could easily introduce tanking by just a few abilities, you need enmity generators and they can't be active when you don't want them to be (or when DDing Tanks will be very annoyed with you). Also if you make a DD tank well and DD well then you'd greatly shift the balance of the tank population (would be like making Paladin be able to match Monk damage when in sword oath form, except even less balanced). I suppose you could add a greater reliance on gear making things possible like materia or armor +100% HP to images (stoneskin mechanic, themed as images).

Of course you would then need to somehow make it so people could queue as a Tank even though they are a DD, and what if they're not properly geared and its like a Healer joining the queue as a pure DD - lol, you'd just want to facepalm as you got null healer and half a DD.

If they're true images the whole prospect of balancing it becomes difficult (dodging a whole attack vs stoneskin themed as a dodge). It was interesting in FFXI but I think you'd do a lot more harm than good unless pretty much every job and combat system was re-balanced to fit in with Ninja tanks (even then a lot of change that is probably unwelcome lol). Or were you suggesting to shift the entire job to a tank position? Which would be much easier to balance/less work than the whole system, but still a lot of work lol. Also a number of DD Ninja players would lose out on their way of playing.

If the idea of a squishy tanking is the appeal, or eastern theme, I think you can just ask for a new job that fits that criteria. It would be safer :P.