Roles for Samurai, Red Mage, Dancer

[Arrik]

What I would be ok with: SAM tank, RDM anything that isn't a healer, DNC as anything
What I would love to see but isn't happening: SAM tank, RDM full hybrid, DNC full hybrid

the trouble with samurai as tank, and it was pointed countless time but ignored by some, is... it will be:
- a two hand sword class (like the dark knight)
- based on parry (like dark knight and warrior)
- mostly physical damage (like paladin and warrior)
- wearing heavy armor (like every tank)

the point is the samurai as tank is only a skin.... we already have a jobs with 2 hand sword as tank... and one based on parry. what the point to add one more jobs like this? i see more a magic melee tank that will bring novelty and new gameplay to the tank, more than samurai that some want simply because.... they want samurai as tank.

as tank it will bring nothing new to the jobs. when a tank based on a caster can be quite interesting and have a few way to be added. because dark knight is not really a caster tank, is more a bad hybrid with more a melee with a few ability draining him mp... don't make it a caster tank.

and just a particularity into the combo system is not enough for justify to add samurai as tank.

INCOMING FFXI TALK. This is your only trigger warning!

- Doesn't have to be, although not using their iconic weapon is probably a big turn off. Samurai Weaponry
EDIT: Maybe a fellow D&D/LoT5R nerd can help me, wasn't there a stance/feat/something that allowed one clan to offhand the wakizashi in a defensive stance? Maybe something like that could work.
- Doesn't have to be. FFXI has Seigan/Third Eye to make it a psuedo evasion tank, with some parry on the side. They could pretty easily break the mold here and still keep balance.
- Doesn't have to be. FFT Samurai shows that making magic damage a part of the skill set could work. It does have the potential to step on NIN's toes if the gimmick isn't tweaked more to work with whatever physical damage is in their skill set, but that's more on SE.
- Doesn't have to be.FFXI's Rune Fencer is a light armor tank. That isn't to say it doesn't have issues, but those issues are more ingrained into the game itself rather than the classes design (it's hard to make a tank that can compete with Ochain/Aegis). There are also armors that could fit in-between the heavy and light categories like some of the earlier "tank" armor that has DRG on it as well as the tanks. Build that Medium armor set into full sets will also have the framework set for other lighter armor tanks.

I think the part I bolded in your post is the biggest issue. It's on SE to step out of the safe space they have been playing in with the patch cycles and job design, and actually want to make an attempt at something new and keeping the balance instead of the trend toward homogenization. That's the bigger issue.