Samurai Healer - Because anything else is already taken.

[Ahrniel]

By analysing the currently existent jobs I realized that there isn't anything left for Samurai in DPS and Tanking roles without taking serious risks of becoming redundant. When we get to Healing roles though these risks vanish miraculously, yes, I'm talking about:

The Melee Healer.

There is nothing like this right now in this game. Free spot. Rarelly used archetype in MMORPGs, and believe or not, it is compatible with previous cases of this class in Final Fantasy.

By releasing the "soul of the sword", Samurai in FFT were capable of manifesting many different effects depending on the weapon they had. Half these effects were, suprise, suprise, support. Healing, MP recovery, Regen, Haste, Protect and Shell.

With the soul of the weapon, and other possible shenanigans like shouts, auras, and the endless healing power of friendship, Samurai could be the Warriors of the healers, too strong of a dps for its role, still decent on the role it is supposed to fit.

Well, I never designed a class before, so it is totally going to be bad, but I tried something like this:

Class: Samurai.
Role: Healer (Melee).
Weapon: Katana.
Cross Classes: Pugilist & Rogue.
Cross Skills: Mantra, Haymaker, Featherfoot, Second Wind, Internal Release, Shade Shift, Goad.

Abilities

*Spirit Stacks go up to 5.
01 Fang - Delivers an attack with a potency of 130. Grants Spirit stack for 30 seconds.
02 Murasame – (OGCD) Releases spirit stacks, healing surrounding allies by 150 potency for stack.
04 Tiger Slash – Delivers an attack with potency of 100. Combo Action: Fang. Combo Potency: 170. Combo Bonus: Reduces damage dealt by 10%. Grants Spirit stack for 30 seconds.
06 Shirahadori - (OGCD) Marks an enemy and parries next marked enemy’s attack within 5 seconds. Pacifies the enemy for 5 seconds.
08 Masamune – (OGCD) Releases spirit stacks, adding mind to the katana damage modifier for 3s for each spirit stack. Surrounding allies receive 50 potency regen for twice the time.
10 Mineuchi - Delivers an attack of potency 120. Additional Effect: Stun for 3s. Does not remove Sleep from target.
12 Stand - Resurrects target with +15% stats for 20 seconds. Weakened state is applied 20 seconds later for 2 min. Can be used during combat.
15 Ashura – (OGCD) Releases spirit stacks, delivering a ranged magic attack with a potency of 30 on health and mana for each stack.
18 Kiyomori – (OGCD) Releases spirit stacks, removes one detrimental effect from surrounding allies for each stack.
22 Courage – Grants 150 TP to surrounding allies.
26 Dragon Empower – Delivers an attack with potency of 100. Combo Potency: 240. Combo Action: Tiger Slash. Combo Bonus: Applies Dragon Bite that heals anyone who attacks this target by 20% of damage for 15s. Grants Spirit stack for 30 seconds.
26 Kotetsu – (OGCD) – Releases spirit stacks, sleeping all surrounding enemy for 3s each stack.
30 Iainuki – Delivers an attack with a potency of 120 to all enemies in a straight line in front of you, 220 potency if enemy’s hp is below 20%. Moves to the last enemy in the line.
34 Tempest Slice – Delivers an attack with potency of 100. Combo Potency: 190. Combo Action: Fang. Combo Bonus: Reduces target’s magic resistance by 10% for 20s. Grants Spirit stack for 30 seconds.
38 Calm Mind – Reduces enmity by half. Aditional Effect: Fills spirit stacks.
42 Oblivion Cleave – Delivers an attack with potency of 100. Combo Potency: 220. Combo Action: Tempest Slice. Combo Bonus: Heals surrounding allies by 50% of damage, 100% if enemy has Dragon Bite applied. Grants Spirit stack for 30 seconds.
46 Ame-no-Murakumo (OGCD) – Releases spirit stacks, slowing down all surrounding enemies for 3s for each stack.
50 Chirijiraden (OGCD) – Releases spirit stacks, dealing fire damage to all nearby enemies and healing all nearby allies with a potency of 60 for each stack.

Traits

08 Enhanced Mind – Increases Mind by 2.
14 Enhanced Mind II – Increases Mind by 4.
16 Morale – Critical attacks heal nearby allies by 15% of the damage.
20 Enhanced Shirahadori – Shortens Shirahadori cooldown to 20 seconds.
24 Enhanced Mind III – Increases Mind by 6.
28 Enhanced Stand – Duration of Weakness is lowered to 40s.
32 Enhanced Courage – Increases the TP restored by Meditation to 300.
36 Enhanced Dragon Empower – Extends Dragon Bite to 30s.
40 Spiritual Integrity – Spirit releases always keep 1 spirit if 5 spirits are spent at once.
44 Morale II – Critical attacks heal nearby allies by 30% of the damage.
48 Enhanced Calm Mind – Shortens Calm Mind cooldown to 60s.

Job Abilities

30 Bushido (Stance) – Grants one spirit stack every 5 seconds. Increases Mind stat by 20%. 50% of all damage taken by allies is distributed among party members. Reduces Enmity generated.
35 Companionship – Parries all attacks received by surrounding party members for 15s.
40 Kikuichimoji (OGCD) – Releases spirit stacks granting the same number in Sanguine Blossom stacks, the stacks are consumed whenever an ally receives damage, delivering an attack of 50 potency back and healing for the same amount.
45 Osafune (OGCD) – Releases spirit stacks, granting a 20 potency Refresh to all party members for 3s for each stack.
50 Samurai Soul – Next release skill can be used without spending spirits as if maxed.
52 Satsui (Stance) – Attack skills that generate spirt stacks now consume one spirit stack instead, becoming a guaranteed critical attack. Sanguine Blossom stacks are transformed into Death Blossom stacks that no longer react to damage.
54 Zantetsuken – Can only be used with Satsui. Consumes all Death Blossom stacks. Deals 60 potency damage for each stack and ignores defense.
56 Honor – Can only be used with Bushido. Consumes all Sanguine and Death Blossom stacks. All surrounding allies receive Stand effect of +15% stats for 3 seconds for each stack consumed.
58 Determination – Surrounding allies cannot reach less than 1 HP for 6 seconds.
60 One with the Sword (OGCD) – Consumes mana to buy one spirit stack.

Details

About Healing Without Mana: When I did the Monk questline, Erik taught me about how enemies release Aether when defeated. Aether being well, lifeforce, same thing used by Scholars and Summoners to do some miracles. That got me thinking, do you really need your own mana to use magic then?

Samurai being the uh... Spiritual warriors they are, with all the "I can cut anything with these katanas" idea, including cutting souls got me thinking... What if they tear the enemies' souls with each attack, and use it for themselves?

Well, that's pretty much the whole concept of the class above. You rend your enemies' souls with your special cutting skills, drench your katana with their aether, and use the accumulated aether to do magic. This way you don't need mana at all.

Overhealing: In theory, Samurai will be constantly healing the whole party. The overhealing would cause ridiculous ammounts of threat and ruin everything, except for the fact that the healing has a very short range, Battle Litany-like. That means that party members can control how much healing is being done by measuring their distance to the Samurai, same for the Samurai itself. Needs healing? Get closer. No healing? Back off.

Potency Values: I never made a class before, so the numbers are as good as random. I tried my best by looking at the available damaging skills for healers, assuming Samurai will cause a little more damage as I planned it to be something like the Warrior of Healers (everyone knows Warriors are OP). I do think the values I chose might be too much though, regardless of that, it is just a matter of nerfing.

Lack of single target heals: Considered my experience with dungeons in the game so far, healers are barelly required to heal, and when they are required to heal seriously, it is because the tank messed up and everyone is taking damage. I don't see a problem with the Samurai kit for healing, except for specific Raid fights that I'm unaware of how works. The Healing Stance Bushido was one way I found to force things to be more compatible to the lack of single target heals.

An interesting consequence of Bushido is that, since it works in short range as well, the more party members you have close with it active, less damage each individual takes, and more healing is done. Way to go with the friendship power of supporting each other, I think I achieved one of my goals for this class with this.

All the OGCDs: I think it is the only way to make this viable. Differently from others healers, you have to build up Spirit Stacks to start healing, any waste of time can mean too late.

Competition with other Healers: If anything, it tells healers to wake up. Last I got into a dungeon with a healer, my White Mage spamming Stone II and Aero in Cleric Stance had a very solid DPS. Something clearly above 200 potency every moment. Any needed healing can be done with a quick OGCD removal of Cleric Stance and a cast of Cure II or anything.

But that's all optional. Healers might as well just stand there and do nothing until required to heal. That is the point in which Samurai has a different take: You have to do DPS to be able to heal, there is no lazyness allowed.

Naming of Skills: They were all almost directly based on FF6's Cyan's Bushido techniques, FF5's Samurai abilities, and FFT's Samurai's skills (if not almost literally adapted to FF14).

[gehrtalert]

I'd try it. Sounds like it could be fun. Interesting at the least

[Nekotee]

The idea sound super fun XD

But the samouraï is kinda implied to be the long Sword dps to be...
Be looks like a fun alternative

[Risvertasashi]

Mm. Those that want a sword-based DPS class would be so, so salty...

[Leogun]

Write it up!

I think, if it has a good amount of healing integrated with its dps and provides unique utility and is styled well with animations and skill effects, I think even dps skewed players would roll one up as their healer of choice. Sure, you run the risk of having a dps player neglecting their healing duty but that goes for really any class.

I'm not an experienced player but would any of this be viable as possible tools of the job?

* limited on ranged heals (maybe just a strong HoT) but nice PBAoe healing
* heals cost TP
* party TP regen support
* self TP refill
* TP shield (half damage received is directed to tp)
* buff that heals target for tp spent (more tp spent, more healing. Only refers to skills with actual tp costs)
* combo support (can somehow improve procs)
* determination replaces mind for healing

[Ahrniel]

Write it up!

I think, if it has a good amount of healing integrated with its dps and provides unique utility and is styled well with animations and skill effects, I think even dps skewed players would roll one up as their healer of choice. Sure, you run the risk of having a dps player neglecting their healing duty but that goes for really any class.

I'm not an experienced player but would any of this be viable as possible tools of the job?

* limited on ranged heals (maybe just a strong HoT) but nice PBAoe healing
* heals cost TP
* party TP regen support
* self TP refill
* TP shield (half damage received is directed to tp)
* buff that heals target for tp spent (more tp spent, more healing. Only refers to skills with actual tp costs)
* combo support (can somehow improve procs)
* determination replaces mind for healing

There, added it. It's my first attempt ever, so its just a rushed concept.

[DynamoAce]

Write it up!

Sure, you run the risk of having a dps player neglecting their healing duty but that goes for really any class.

I'm not an experienced player but would any of this be viable as possible tools of the job?

* limited on ranged heals (maybe just a strong HoT) but nice PBAoe healing
* heals cost TP
* party TP regen support
* self TP refill
* TP shield (half damage received is directed to tp)
* buff that heals target for tp spent (more tp spent, more healing. Only refers to skills with actual tp costs)
* combo support (can somehow improve procs)
* determination replaces mind for healing

/SCHOLARS/
They wind up being too reliant on Eos to heal and forget they have to play a part.
Regardless the idea of a Melee Healer is very interesting.

[Sanghelios]

Sounds fun but there are quite a few flaws in here. The game isnt build around having a dps/healer in one job. Either way you are dps or healer. Given the abilities you did list it it sounds like you are 50% dps, 50% healer. As of how the game works at the moment, that would be impossible to balance with the other classes. In case he would be count as healer, then all those dps abilities would have to be nerfed to other healers dps output and in case he would be a melee he would have to be on par with other melee classes in terms of dps output (noticeable lower dps would instantly kill Samurai in raids setups and so locking him out of endgame) while literally having near zero healing abilities at hand (Maybe a very few like other melees (Maybe something like Mantra, a self heal but thats all of it then)

Anyway, thumbs up for trying. Was interesting to read

[ADVSS]

sounds pretty fun, if not a healer i can see this system function well for a dps samurai too, good read!

[Silverbane]

I like the idea of a melee healer, but I'd rather have it be a Dancer.

Because, to quote Chance the Gardener, "I like to watch."