How a Shapeshifter Could Work in FFXIV

[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.

[Zarabeth]

Snip.

You're correct, at least in my case. I have not played FF Tactics Advanced. That morpher is adorable. In FFXI Blue Mages had to learn their spells from monsters which is why I never liked the class and didn't play it. Since I was a RDM I did end up helping my BLU friends get their spells though. I hated it!
I still think a BLU as a tank job could be done fairly easily and the shifter idea is growing on me.