Shadowbringers RDM Wishlist

[Archwizard]

I personally don't see them adding tons of complexity.

As a WoW Refugee, I've seen plenty of examples of classes where DoTs were not only substantial portions of damage, but sources of (or markers for) additional mechanics like procs, debuffs, resources, or conditional detonations.
... and BLM's Thundercloud, while simplistic, completely blew many of those out of the water. Were they to add a DoT, I'd have complete faith in the devs' ability to make it interesting.

"Complex"? Perhaps not, but nobody said a spell needed to complicate a rotation to add a shred more depth to it.

I'd rather avoid any DoTs being added for the sake of a DoT. If the DoT provided a unique mechanic somehow (beyond "Hey it generates mana too!"), I might be on board with it.

I agree that any DoTs hypothetically added to RDM should add mechanics to the class, particularly since unlike SMN, our design isn't based largely on DoT upkeep.

Although I've heard the argument against "DoTs for the sake of a DoT" more than once. Perhaps I'm thinking too literally here, but if such a proposal was purely made with the intent of giving us a DoT just to have something to upkeep, we'd probably be hearing things like "instant cast," "a cooldown matching its duration", possibly even some mention of being oGCD and adding nothing beyond being a damage skill. Yet I've still heard suggestions that attempted to add new interconnected mechanics be silenced with the same argument.

Bear in mind, I'm not arguing here that "RDMs absolutely need a DoT and they have to add one." I'm just saying that I don't see the value in dismissing such suggestions offhand.

Merge Skill/Spell Speed into just Speed, make mock-GCDs (like the fixed-GCD Meditation and the Enchanted melee chain) into actual half-GCDs, and have the damage of any oGCDs not already proportionate to Attack Speed (i.e. all but gauge skills) scale with Skill/Spell Speed.

Question, given that I'm still somewhat new to the game.
How many other classes actually use both Spells and Weaponskills in their rotation, and would actually receive benefit from the merger of Skill and Spell Speed?
Because to my knowledge it's just RDMs and maybe two spells for PLD (the damage of one of which is affected by weapon delay anyway), which if I'm not mistaken, would mean you're discussing reprogramming an entire stat system and changing input values on who knows how many pieces of equipment... just to avoid changing some input values on a couple of our abilities, which would have to be rebalanced anyway...?

Simultaneously, while I concur that your suggestion would address the issue of the stat's value, my concern with "scale damage with Skill/Spell Speed" is largely that barring a few 'unique' cases (including the PLD spell I already mentioned, or breakpoints), increasing a Speed-oriented stat should affect... well... speed?