Dalmascan Arithmeticians?

[NoblePigeon]

Since Arithmetician was name dropped as a profession out there, I've been trying to imagine what exactly it does and what it would look like within the setting. Primarily, I'm wondering how it would differentiate from Eorzea's own "math mages", i.e. Arcanists.

I imagine there might be similarities in the same way that geomancy and astromancy have similarities, or Eastern vs. Western summoning, but since I know almost nothing about math and have never played the Tactics games, I'm a bit stumped.

So, in a nutshell: theoretically speaking, exactly what does an Arithmetician do to manipulate aether to cast spells?

[Bright-Flower]

Was it just namedropped in the Ivalician Arithmatician's set or was it mentioned by a lore character somewhere?

I wouldn't count on it getting fleshed out if it was just the former. But since arcanists/summoners/scholars all use math and geometry in their spells I would guess it would ultimately be something similar to them if it were fleshed out.

[Enkidoh]

Calculator Arithmatician really wouldn't work gameplay wise in FFXIV's MMO environment though, as the mathmatical aspect is more at home in a turn-based isometric view strategy RPG like FF Tactics. In a way ACN (and by extension SMN and SCH) already are Arithmaticians anyway as they use maths in the calculation of their spells from a lore perspective (mathmatical equations, of the geometric kind are what they scribble in in their grimoires), as Bright-Flower mentioned above.

So like Geomancer being what Conjury is called in the Far East, maybe Math Magic is what Eorzean Arcanima is called in Othard too.
Please blow holes in that theory though!

[Ceasaria]

From DualShockers interview (september 2018)

G: You may or may not remember, but before Stormblood was officially announced, I asked you what kind of job you’d personally have liked to add to the game. You told me red mage, and just like that, red mage happened. Of course, it’s totally a coincidence. So, is there a job that you’d personally like to add in the next expansion?

NY: (Laughs) Personally, it’d be cool to maybe have the Arithmetician from Final Fantasy Tactics. In the second part of Return to Ivalice, in one of the battles, we had actual math problems so… Maybe we could have a job that can use numbers in battle.

[Molniya]

At last. A class that handles adds.

Buh DUM tsssss.

[Frizze]

At last. A class that handles adds.

Buh DUM tsssss.

Ok, thats it folks. Close the internet, shows over.

[NessaWyvern]

So like Geomancer being what Conjury is called in the Far East,

Actually considering the AST storyline, Geomancer is their version of Astro, just using Hydaelyn as a "star" instead of the stars in the sky, which Astro uses.

[MikkoAkure]

Actually considering the AST storyline, Geomancer is their version of Astro, just using Hydaelyn as a "star" instead of the stars in the sky, which Astro uses.

That may be, but all the spells being used by the geomancer were conjurer spells. My belief is that either geomancers have a different path to the same end result or geomancy is the same as conjury but they describe it differently. Using nature/the planet as a source feels more similar than the planet to the stars, especially if the spells are the same.

[ObsidianFire]

From an animation standpoint, Geomancers use Conjurer spells. From a lore standpoint, they might not be. The Geomancy in the Swallow's Compass certainly doesn't look like any Conjurery we've seen in Eorzea.B

"Stars" and "Planets" in FFXIV are interchangeable to a certain degree. For instance, the Dragonstar is the planet the dragons are from. It's not the sun their planet revolves around. This matches what we see with our own Planet where the source of life/energy isn't the sun, but Hydaelyn, who is located in the planet in the aetherial realm.

[Vanitas]

Ah yes, kill them with math. Job quest giver will be construct 7.