A (Sort of) New Tank Job Concept

[Seraphor]

People have suggested Magitek Knight before, as well as Blue Mage as being contenders for the next Tank job.
What if these two were combined into one job?
Nay, what if the next Tank was a combination of Magitek Knight, Rune/Mystic Knight and Blue Mage!?

Now, before you dismiss me as a nutcase, let me explain.

This wouldn’t be the first ‘combo’ job in XIV.
White Mage incorporates Geomancy, Warrior is also Berserker, Bard is also Archer, and -arguably- Summoner and Machinist are also Beastmaster and Monk is also Dancer.
Most notably however is Astrologian, quite clearly combining concepts from Time Mage, Gambler and Astrologer.


What is a Magitek Knight?
Well magitek is either technology powered by magic, or technology that replicates magic, or in some cases as it is in XIV, both.
Weapons typically suggested are those wielded by Nero, either a Gunhammer or a Gunblade, with the latter being the most popular and my preferred choice.
So presumably a Magitek Knight would wield a Gunblade and absorb/replicate magic in some way.

What is a Rune/Mystic Knight?
Most well-known example would be Celes from VI. Wields a sword, and her signature skill is absorbing magical attacks.
Other versions involve augmenting the sword with an element and dealing elemental physical attacks.

What is a Blue Mage?
The most inconsistent job in the series, but it always utilising magic spells that are used by enemies, or replicate enemy skill effects.
Most of the time they’re learned by getting hit by the self-same ability, but not always (VI, VIII and IX for example) and we all know the XI model isn’t going to work in XIV, so let’s just write that off here.
In VI, blue magic spells are learned via sending Gau into the Veldt, sending him on a quest as it were. Quistis learns them via items, but she uses them by taking hits and executing her limit break. Quina essentially morphs enemies to learn them.

How do these fit together? / What do they all have in common?
It makes sense for Magitek Magic to be highly utility based, repurposing aether as a tool for various uses, which Blue Magic is.
‘Spellblade’ is essentially magical augmentation of a weapon, which is pretty much what Magitek is too.
It makes sense for Blue Magic to essentially be powered by ‘Runic’.
They all hinge around taking damage or absorbing magic.
They all utilise magic in a novel way, so not just raw damage/healing.
They all use one-handed swords.
There is loads of conceptual synergy here.


My proposal is for a Magitek themed, Gunblade wielding Tank, with the damage absorbing mechanics of a Rune Knight, and the flavour of a Blue Mage in its spellset.
In terms of Lore, it is the Garlean philosophy of claiming the power of the eikons for their own which serves as the basis. Job Quests would centre around seeking out the power of beast tribes or primals, and repurposing it as a new magitek skill/spell, while facing off against the Garlean agents who are after you for stealing their technology.
As for name, I think it should all come under the moniker of ‘Magitek Knight’, as the magitek is the source of its power and the basis of its lore. Abbreviation? MGK?

The signature job mechanic would be a Magitek Paling (force-field) that increases defence, and allows damage received to be converted into the Job Gauge (hereby referred to as Magitek Gauge or MG) which caps at 100.
This gauge is then expended in the form of a burst-style DPS stance akin to Dark Arts/Blood Weapon, or to use the top ticket spells, which would predominantly be Blue Magic, with the wide range of utility you’d expend from Blue Magic.



Skill set:
My first hand tanking experience is entirely with Dark Knight, so I’ve used that as a sort of template, at least for the basics, just to make sure it all fits. Potencies and cooldown times are obviously hypothetical and I’m sure would need to be tweaked, but you should get the gist of it.


Basic enmity combo: Gunblade basics

Cutting Trigger
Swipe of the blade with a simultaneous blast of the gun.
100 potency damage and increases enmity.

Shear Trigger
Uppercut of the blade with a simultaneous blast of the gun.
110 potency damage and increases enmity.
Combo with Cutting Trigger: 180 potency.

Punishment
Forward stab of the blade with a simultaneous blast of the gun.
120 potency damage and increases enmity.
Combo with Shear Trigger: 210 potency.
Bonus: When used under the effect of Magitek Paling, builds enmity with all enemies in 5y radius..



Basic DPS combo: Spellblade Augmentation

Icebrand
Trigger an ice-aspected magic round as you stab with the blade.
120 potency damage.
Combo with Cutting Trigger: 220 potency.
Bonus: When used under the effect of Magitek Overdrive: Gain 5 Magitek Gauge.

Thundershard
Trigger a lightning-aspected magic round as you overhead-cleave with the blade.
140 potency damage.
Combo with Icebrand: 280 potency.
Bonus: When used under the effect of Magitek Overdrive: Adds a 50 potency DoT over 9s.



Pulling skills: Basic Blue Magic

Magic Missile
Fire an aetherial missile from the gunblade into the air, homes in on target. (Matra Magic analogue)
Single target, ranged. Deals 50 potency damage and increases enmity.
Damage increases with targets HP. (up to 150 potency if target is at 100% HP)
(Like AST’s Essential Dignity, but offensive, works great as an opener, which is what it should be)

Magitek Needles
Expel a wave of charged aether particles in all directions. (1000 Needles analogue)
10y radial AoE. 100 potency AoE damage split between targets, maximum of 1000 damage split between targets. Increases enmity.
Bonus: When used under the effect of Magitek Paling: Increases radius to 15y.



Damage Mitigation and oGCD: Basic Stance/Job Skills

Magitek Paling
Duration: Permanent, toggle on/off. (tank stance)
Decrease physical attack power by 10%, increase damage resistance by 10%, doubles Magitek Gauge rate.
Cannot be used when under Magitek Overdrive effect.

Charged Round
Guarantees next physical attack will Crit. 90s cooldown.

Power Conversion
Regen on self for 15 seconds. 90s cooldown.

Steel Curtain
20% physical damage reduction on self for 9 seconds. 90s cooldown.

Magic Hammer
Single target, 10% magic power reduction debuff for 12 seconds. Fills Magitek Gauge by 25 points. 90s cooldown.



Job Gauge reliant signature moves: Top Blue Magic and Job Skills

Magitek Overdrive
Increase physical attack power and skill speed by 20%, drains Magitek Gauge at 3/s. Duration: 30 seconds or until Magitek Gauge is empty.
Cancels Magitek Paling effect. 90s cooldown.
(Burst DPS stance. If using just the basic DPS combo, which is intended, then each 8~9 second rotation should cost approx. 22~25MG, if you’re efficient, which means you should be able to get the full 3.3 rotations out in those 30s and if you started with a full gauge, still have 25MG left over.)

Aethervent
Gain 20% MP, costs 20MG, 45s cooldown.

Aqualung
Water spell, cone AoE 120 potency damage, costs 30MG, 30s cooldown.

Degenerator
Ground target AoE field, 10% magic vulnerability up, costs 40MG, 90s cooldown.

White Wind
Recover 20% current HP of self and any party members in 10y radius, costs 50MG, 90s cooldown.

Beta
Fire spell, targeted 5y radial AoE, costs 60MG, 120s cooldown.

Mighty Guard
Extend Magitek Paling to all party members within 10y radius, giving them a 20% damage reduction buff.
Drains Magitek Gauge at 5/s. Can only be used when under Magitek Paling effect.
Duration: 9 seconds or until Magitek Gauge is empty. 180s cooldown.

Aetheric Overload.
Deal damage to all enemies in 10y radius equal to your max HP.
Expend all but 1 HP, become invulnerable for 6 seconds. Costs ALL MG (25MG minimum) 180s cooldown.
(Basically the Self Destruct enemy skill, combined with Minus Strike/Balance/????, re-purposed as the last resort/death cheat tank skill)

[Pastahnak]

Couple issues with an overall decent looking job. Aspected magic is being fazed out ( and being put back into eurika) so those would need to be changed to unaspected and give some buffs/debuffs based on the name of the skill like slowed skill speed and paralysis. Also this is more of an opinion but gunblade feels like such an offensive weapon but a simple fix is using the gun hammer which u mentioned already and imo the gun hammer is wicked cool and works better for a tank.

[aqskerorokero]

so....basically paladin with a machinist torret......

[Mahrze]

My only caveat is gunblades tend to be portrayed as 2h swords weapons due to their usually ridiculous size. Which would likely be a key design issue vs DRKs weapons. They would likely go the XIII gunblades or preferably a hand-and-half concept.

I do like the Aetheric Overload concept along with the burst dps mechanic.

[Seraphor]

Couple issues with an overall decent looking job. Aspected magic is being fazed out ( and being put back into eurika) so those would need to be changed to unaspected and give some buffs/debuffs based on the name of the skill like slowed skill speed and paralysis. Also this is more of an opinion but gunblade feels like such an offensive weapon but a simple fix is using the gun hammer which u mentioned already and imo the gun hammer is wicked cool and works better for a tank.

Oh I realise that, the descriptions were more flavour text than actual aspects damage.
They do have unique effects when under overdrive.

[Pastahnak]

Alternatively I'd love see warrior get Nero's gunhammer skin :P

[Seraphor]

My only caveat is gunblades tend to be portrayed as 2h swords weapons due to their usually ridiculous size. Which would likely be a key design issue vs DRKs weapons. They would likely go the XIII gunblades or preferably a hand-and-half concept.

I do like the Aetheric Overload concept along with the burst dps mechanic.

I'd imagine the weapon stance to be more like seifer or Laguna, basically squall Dissidia stance.
Mainly one handed.

[Seraphor]

so....basically paladin with a machinist torret......

...no, no turret.


I was thinking about another DPS weaponskill though.

Blazefire
5y AoE that is procced by Icebrand (25%) or Thundershard (50%)

So s of a taste of machinists rng rotation, with a chance at getting a fourth attack in the rotation.

[Ceasaria]

It’s a good start with some ideas pretty cool but I can see it lack originality, and there are flaws in your design.

Already, your job gauge is classic : fill it to 100 and do actions by spending the energy.
I like the fact it trigger by taking damages. However, if you are with a SCH or Noct AST who do a lot of shields, you couldn’t use your gauge often, it’s sad (or could it work even with Shields ?).
Concerning the part where you take damages, I think it would be more wise to transform this in “% of HP lost” because of the sync contents. So you didn’t indicate how we must lost to fill the gauge at 100, but I think, maybe 200% damages in total could do it.

The principal other problem is you don’t have an opener efficient.
It would if you have your gauge at 100, but when you start a fight, you have 0.
So, you can just spam your basic enmity/damage combo, not great (and because abilities are locked behind the gauge)

Charge Round compared to Inner Release, it’s totally powerless.
If you change it by : full crit for 15 sec (physical and magical), it would be better and maybe this would correct your opener.

I like the fact your self heal (regen) and heal party is less restrictive than those of the PLD.
Moreover with Magic Hammer, Degenerator and Mighty Guard, the utility is here, so cool.

Steel Curtain is not good enough.

Too much moves using the gauge compared to the abilities which can fill the gauge (but all depend of 'taking damages' I think).

Damages from Aetheric Overload is too strong (and need to be checked with Charge Round). Need to have a potency scale with your actual HP.

Magitek Paling and Magitek Overdrive are okay I guess.

Good luck, If you intend to make changes

[Seraphor]

Well I did say potencies and cool down times were hypothetical and would likely need rebalancing, it just gives a rough idea of how it would play.

As for how the gauge would fill in relation to hits taken and damage received.
I would imagine it could work as increasing by a base about for each hit taken, plus bonus for the amount if damage, as a percentage as you say.
Potentially something like 1 per hit, then .5 per 2% HP.
This would allow some increase even when taking no damage.

Not all the skills are locked behind the gauge though, the basic openers and weakponskils aren't, plus most of the cooldowns.