How a Shapeshifter Could Work in FFXIV

[Kazrah]

I don't think shapeshifters really fit into the lore. However a caster tank would be cool. Also you are super creative! You should be working for a gaming company.

Thanks! I did have another concept for a caster tank, but Green Mage has a bit of difficulty differentiating itself thematically with what we have for White Mage in FFXIV. I am curious though as to why you think a shapeshifter wouldn't fit into the lore, especially since lore can usually be curbed so some concepts could be implemented.

Please do point out where I ever said it was impossible, because I absolutely never did.

You may not have said it, but the negative attitude you've displayed in every single post you've put into this thread certainly screams it in volumes. Just makes me glad that it's not the whiny pessimists who make this game better than its competitors, but the optimists who can take fascinating--sometimes even different ideas--and put them into the game.

[Zarabeth]

Thanks! I did have another concept for a caster tank, but Green Mage has a bit of difficulty differentiating itself thematically with what we have for White Mage in FFXIV. I am curious though as to why you think a shapeshifter wouldn't fit into the lore, especially since lore can usually be curbed so some concepts could be implemented.

I suppose you're right, they could make one, I just don't think shapeshifter when I think FF. In ffxi blue mages could tank some. I'd love to see a blue mage tank.

[Kazrah]

I suppose you're right, they could make one, I just don't think shapeshifter when I think FF. In ffxi blue mages could tank some. I'd love to see a blue mage tank.

I have a feel a lot of people have that mentality on shapeshifters in Final Fantasy. My guess is because they didn't play Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.



This is the Morpher class from that game, and the inspiration behind my concept for Sorcerer. It would fight by assuming a stance of a monster and then actually transforming into that monster when performing an attack from that monster, and it had access to every ability that monster could use. The only thing I wasn't a fan of about it was its outfit since it just felt far too generic.

Now Blue Mage was in that game too, but like most Blue Mages in Final Fantasy's history, it wore lighter outfits and was about as tanky as any other average melee class, being able to take just enough hits to learn a spell without dying. Between that, the lack of tanking abilities in its average arsenal throughout the whole series and the fact that less than half of all the types of Blue Mages in every Final Fantasy game ever made had absolutely no choice but to get hit by an ability to learn it (pretty sure even BLU of FFXI could still see a spell to learn it as well) was why I usually made my Blue Mage concepts as melee DPS rather than as tanks. Now that's not to say Blue Mage couldn't be made as a tank--with how Red Mage was brought in, I think anything's on the table now--but there may be some reservations when looking at job traditions throughout Final Fantasy history.

[Shippuu]

You may not have said it, but the negative attitude you've displayed in every single post you've put into this thread certainly screams it in volumes.

That's not how it works buddy, but ok. Just because you don't like that someone poked glaring holes in your idea that you thought you had really thought out doesn't mean you get to put words in their mouth that they never said.

Just makes me glad that it's not the whiny pessimists who make this game better than its competitors, but the optimists who can take fascinating--sometimes even different ideas--and put them into the game.

Well then I guess I'm glad the clueless dreamers with no sense of realism or understanding of the reality of the situations have zero say on anything being added to the game.

[Kazrah]

snip

Okay then, let's see you come with something. I'll wait until then to take your criticisms seriously from now on.

[Brightshadow]

Honestly the shapeshifter of this series is a Blue Mage. If Square wants to add a shapeshifter they should just add Blue Mage, which is basically a monster tanking since they use monster abilities.

As for gear, there is no reason why they can't just use Intelligence gear. All they need is a trait that converts Intellect to VIT. As for your shapeshifter I have an idea.

You know how in FFIX garnet would sometimes get like critical hit when summoning and have the full summon animation instead of a half summon animation. Perhaps blue magic could work similar. When using spells normal they would just use monster animation, but when Crit or an ability is used the spirit of the enemy would appear in back of the BLU to use the ability or something like that. Which would feel like a shapeshifter.

[Kazrah]

Honestly the shapeshifter of this series is a Blue Mage. If Square wants to add a shapeshifter they should just add Blue Mage, which is basically a monster tanking since they use monster abilities.

As for gear, there is no reason why they can't just use Intelligence gear. All they need is a trait that converts Intellect to VIT. As for your shapeshifter I have an idea.

You know how in FFIX garnet would sometimes get like critical hit when summoning and have the full summon animation instead of a half summon animation. Perhaps blue magic could work similar. When using spells normal they would just use monster animation, but when Crit or an ability is used the spirit of the enemy would appear in back of the BLU to use the ability or something like that. Which would feel like a shapeshifter.

Although that's not quite really a shapeshifter, I do like that approach to BLU. Thing to bear in mind though is that BLU only used monster abilities, never becoming the monster. Just because a CNJ and a spriggan both use Stone, that doesn't make that CNJ a spriggan. Same case with BLU, which was one of the reasons why I made this concept as a tank rather than a BLU.

Also, thank you all for the feedback. Keep it coming!

[Shurrikhan]

While I like the concept generally, this seems more like an Esper with just faintly differentiated buff forms / reskins. I don't understand why you would take all the potential of corporeal shift-forms and then shoehorn them into a caster.

[Zarabeth]

I don't think shapeshifters really fit into the lore. However a caster tank would be cool. Also you are super creative! You should be working for a gaming company.