We Want SAM... <make it happen>

[FinalWolf]

I wanna know something and it's been on my mind for a while now.

Why are so many people trying to push Red mage as a tank in this game? Sure in other games it was a jack of all trades master of none.

But honestly adding red mage as a tank seems like it would be just a shield-less paladin with a rapier and en-magic.

White magic? Paladin has it
Self buffs? Paladin (stoneskin, etc)

The only thing they don't have is "black magic" but I still feel like it would be much more suited as a dps.

[ErdrickLoto]

I wanna know something and it's been on my mind for a while now.

Why are so many people trying to push Red mage as a tank in this game? Sure in other games it was a jack of all trades master of none.

But honestly adding red mage as a tank seems like it would be just a shield-less paladin with a rapier and en-magic.

White magic? Paladin has it
Self buffs? Paladin (stoneskin, etc)

The only thing they don't have is "black magic" but I still feel like it would be much more suited as a dps.

Arcanist/summoner has both black and white magics (or offensive/support magics) as well. All they're missing is a sword.

PLD's ability to use white magic is also nearly non-existent (at least with Cure; not sure about Clemency).

[Claire_Pendragon]

I wanna know something and it's been on my mind for a while now.

Why are so many people trying to push Red mage as a tank in this game? Sure in other games it was a jack of all trades master of none.

But honestly adding red mage as a tank seems like it would be just a shield-less paladin with a rapier and en-magic.

White magic? Paladin has it
Self buffs? Paladin (stoneskin, etc)

The only thing they don't have is "black magic" but I still feel like it would be much more suited as a dps.

Most FFs dont really have tank jobs, but from what we took from the FF universe, to fill the role of tanks, were front line jobs with survival qualities, and who needed to be in melee range to land attacks.

Next RDM being the jack of all trades, that means it would melee to conserve MP, be in the front row to land melee attacks, wore better defensive gear than WHM/BLM, helpped with heals outside of combat, and inside of combat, and landed magic attacks if the mob was weak to their element.

Currently there is only 1 role that would allow for all of those things, w/o being a drastic hindrance to their role, and how endgame is currently designed. (Though with some tweeks it could honestly fit any role.)
As a Tank, self healing (Clemency, Bloodbath, etc) is pretty common for lowering how much a healer needs to heal.
Melee make sense as a tank as well, as mobs will be on you.
Ranged spells (Unmend is a ranged spell for threat) can work for pulls, and other combinations for Ranged AoE threat. (Like Abyssal drain)
Buffs/Debuffs to strengthen themselves in order to take hits.

Currently we have a healer, and DPS that can refresh MP, but no tank that can do that for the healers.

So its not too crazy to see RDM as a tank.

(While I would prefer an option to swap out the job stone, to pick a role, which changes the play style a tad bit, in order to become the role you want it to be.)

[Shurrikhan]

I wanna know something and it's been on my mind for a while now.
Why are so many people trying to push Red mage as a tank in this game? Sure in other games it was a jack of all trades master of none.
But honestly adding red mage as a tank seems like it would be just a shield-less paladin with a rapier and en-magic.

White magic? Paladin has it
Self buffs? Paladin (stoneskin, etc)

The only thing they don't have is "black magic" but I still feel like it would be much more suited as a dps.

I could give you a full write-up for the job detailing how unique from PLD, DRK, and WAR it could be as a tank...

...but I feel like my desire to keep RDM a Hybrid DPS would leak through no matter how hard I tried to restrain it.

[ADVSS]

I could give you a full write-up for the job detailing how unique from PLD, DRK, and WAR it could be as a tank...

...but I feel like my desire to keep RDM a Hybrid DPS would leak through no matter how hard I tried to restrain it.

As long as you make it synergize more with pld/drk and can substitute/rival warrior whilst having enough abilitiess to do black and white magic with said support id be cool with seeing that write up

I still think, like healers, tanks have a set list of must haves that cut their options short when it comes to the amount of abilities available for things like identity, but it doesnt mean its impossible. The guidelines and restrictions i put are very realistic to what we will most likely see as the next tank, not so much whats possible, but it will definitely have to compete with warrior somehow and in a way that benefits pld/drk, or else no matter how different it will be it will probably just pair with war anyway and push the other two out of the slot completely.

[Claire_Pendragon]

As long as you make it synergize more with pld/drk and can substitute/rival warrior whilst having enough abilitiess to do black and white magic with said support id be cool with seeing that write up

I still think, like healers, tanks have a set list of must haves that cut their options short when it comes to the amount of abilities available for things like identity, but it doesnt mean its impossible.

Highlighted for importance. But I do want to comment on the part where people say it needs to compete with WAR.
SE did say they planned to change the current tanks to have more support like WAR, and current healers to have the support of SCH.
(Honestly, by support, people just want more DPS.)

It wouldnt be hard to make a tank just simply have more OT DPS like WAR to compete with it.

But WAR isnt the only class a new tank could compete with, and nor does it have to be PLD or DRK either.
If we went with the hypothetical RDM tank, we could make it like BRD/MCH and AST, in being the only tank they can give MP/TP to the party, which can free up a DPS slot depending on party make up.
While it wouldnt do the dmg of a WAR in the OT position, its buffs would allow for more direct dmg from the DPS spot filled, along with raising over all party performance.

Not that SE is going to do this, as they will most likely do what they did with HW, and just copy the base formula, and then slap on a small mechanic on top.