Red Mage: I am not a Back line class

[Ramsey]

What I would like to see is SE play to RDM's hybrid nature by allowing two classes to equip a RDM crystal.

This is an interesting suggestion, but it's also a giant exceptional case, making it unattractive to devs. This would require they adapt their system to accept a 2:1 class:job ratio, all for the sake of a single job. When you also consider that a job is made up primarily of actions from its class (since currently, jobs only add a handful of abilities) you're making a lot of additional balance issues. It's basically twice the work for only one class.

Not that it's impossible, but I don't see it as being a likely idea unless they establish a new precedent where multiple classes branch into multiple jobs.

I see it being far more likely that we simply get a Fencer:Red Mage deal. Which I am perfectly fine with, though I see as being a bit wonky given that currently, you can only set 5 actions from other jobs. Assuming they give RDM access to CON/THM actions (as they should) it's going to be tough and highly dependent on situation which actions you're going to set.

Now they could give fencer some inherent magic actions, or even duplicate actions from other classes, but that sets another exceptional case, and so I also see that as being unlikely.

I suppose if I had to say what I hope to see, it's a Fencer that is half Fencer, half Magic Swordsman, with a wide variety of attacks and abilities that pull from the more physically oriented Fencer (Reflex, Nighthawk, etc.) and attacks that pull from the more magically oriented Magic Swordsman (Spellblade, etc.) Culminating in a DPS / debuff / evasion off-tank.

The tough part with this approach though would be the Red Mage specific abilities. Red Mage staples like doublecast and chainspell would feel awkward, as they're enhancement skills for spells. And as any sort of spellblade/fencing action would be a TP/MP weapon skill, not a spell, Red Mage would have job actions that can't be applied to any of the job's native actions. I suppose Paladin already has a little of this though, so it's not unprecedented.

White Mage also already essentially has doublecast, meaning it would have to function differently to warrant being a unique ability. Hopefully a much quicker cooldown, and perhaps the ability to cast the same spell on two different targets or two spells on the same target with one cast timer. (I.E. simultaneously)

If it were possible to make some sort of ability that functioned differently based on what you combo it with, some sort of context sensitive nuke as a RDM action might work, but again that's another new exception. But for example, Fire Sword > RDM Nuke (Becomes a Fire nuke for the combo.) Ice Sword > RDM Nuke (Becomes an Ice nuke for the combo.)

And unless doublecast were on an extremely quick cooldown, RDM would be incredibly sub par in healing when they needed to fill that role.

Ideally I would love to see RDM have various stances to play various roles that degrade over time, forcing you to switch roles over the course of a battle to essentially plug holes, meaning you could never take on any given role for an entire battle, meaning you'd never be pigeon-holed as a class into a specific role.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what SE has in store. Given the system they've set up for class:job relationships though, I can't see how they can possibly create a RDM that can make everyone happy, or adhere to FF precedents for how RDM works.

Edit: Instead of having an option between rapiers and daggers, I'd love to see RDM using rapier main hand/ main gauche offhand, as a parrying only offhand. Whether as two separate items or one "two-handed" set it doesn't matter to me. I'd also love to see Celes' "Runic" ability reappear for Fencer, allowing them to negate a single magic effect and regain MP for it. Would be a nice anti-magic tanking ability.

[Duelle]

This is an interesting suggestion, but it's also a giant exceptional case

Well, RDM is in the unique position of being the original hybrid job. Then again, I was trying to keep those who liked playing in the back lines in mind.

This would require they adapt their system to accept a 2:1 class:job ratio, all for the sake of a single job. When you also consider that a job is made up primarily of actions from its class (since currently, jobs only add a handful of abilities) you're making a lot of additional balance issues. It's basically twice the work for only one class.

True. On the upside, if might remind someone at SE that each job is capable of more than one task alone. I know it's way too late to bring that to the table, but meh.

Not that it's impossible, but I don't see it as being a likely idea unless they establish a new precedent where multiple classes branch into multiple jobs.

Well, I think the Thief and Summoner enthusiasts are sort of hoping for this. My RDM suggestion kind of paves the way for them.

I suppose if I had to say what I hope to see, it's a Fencer that is half Fencer, half Magic Swordsman, with a wide variety of attacks and abilities that pull from the more physically oriented Fencer (Reflex, Nighthawk, etc.) and attacks that pull from the more magically oriented Magic Swordsman (Spellblade, etc.) Culminating in a DPS / debuff / evasion off-tank.

I would be perfectly fine with this.

Red Mage staples like doublecast and chainspell would feel awkward, as they're enhancement skills for spells.

Which were in the single player RPGs because you don't have 7/15 other people scrutinizing your build and what your Red Mages did. I'd be more willing to consider Temper and Composure as more fitting RDM staples, specialy in light of the abilities you mentioned being given out to BLM and WHM. Which I'm perfectly fine with because I want the job to lean more towards magic swordsman.