White Mage Roleplay Characters Have Lore Support

[FutileMasquerade]

Upon careful reading of the text, I think that the "no one can be a White Mage but Padjal" is not the only valid interpretation.

One thing that supports such a claim is Raya-O-Senna referring to the WoL in the first White Mage quest as:

"Bearer of the soul crystal, inheritor of arcane knowledge long since forbidden to those not of our kind..."

Again she says something along the lines of that interpretation in the level 40 quest.

"[...] And so it was that the practicing of white magic was forbidden... with one exception. ...The Padjal. Our kind were entrusted as sole shepherds of the now-forbidden art, to serve as healers and bringers of peace while ensuring that this great power would never again be misused."

Those two lines of dialogue make it seem pretty cut-and-dry. And if you are only looking at dialogue which is presently in game, that's where it ends.

HOWEVER, the Encyclopedia Eorzea and the 1.0 dialogue shows seems to indicate that Padjal are not the only ones permited to use white magic, but instead are in charge of its preservation and use and have the authority to teach it to non-Padjal.

The Encyclopedia Eorzea:

"Some five centuries past, the elementals relented, and did at last allow the legacy of the Amdapori magi to be wielded by a chosen few. The Padjal, revered leaders of Gridania, have since served as the stewards of white magic and oversee its careful instruction."

And:

"Although the art was subsequently forbidden, it is now in the midst of a revival at the hands of the Padjal, chosen of the elementals."

This is aligned with dialogue from Raya-O-Senna in 1.0, in which she gives the player character, who is really just an adventurer at this point, permission to use white magic. No need for them to be chosen by a soul crystal descending from a tree.

"White magic and conjury are close relations, the two governed by the same laws. The former, however, places the utmost importance upon healing and protection, and demands of practitioners the greatest intimacy with the elementals. On account of this, its use is granted only to those few who are deemed worthy. It is the sacred charge of we Padjal to ensure that the art survives, and in righteous hands.”

"And, as you act in my name, I hereby permit you the use of white magic. Take here this linkpearl and the Soul of the White Mage. The latter is an ancient crystal imbued with the light of succor - by its power, the forbidden art will be yours to wield, albeit within the bounds of your skill as a conjurer. To walk the path of the white mage is to devote oneself to the salving of hurts and the lifting of misery - ours is the hand that proffers comfort. Should it ever come to light that you have used your powers contrary to this, be forewarned that you will promptly be dispossessed of the crystal and duly punished."

[Cleretic]

Yeah, that's always been the thing with White Mages: They're rare entirely because of Padjali restriction on who can learn the art. Theoretically if you found some other way to learn it, you'd be just fine, if kinda alone. Not sure who told you otherwise.

Black Magic is similarly restricted, there's just an extra element of 'also if you use it wrong you burn yourself alive from the inside out'. Rare because the main group of people who know how to use it are absolutely NOT sharing.

[FutileMasquerade]

Yeah, that's always been the thing with White Mages: They're rare entirely because of Padjali restriction on who can learn the art. Theoretically if you found some other way to learn it, you'd be just fine, if kinda alone. Not sure who told you otherwise.

Almost every discussion I've seen regarding job availability says that only Padjal can be White Mages. I think the general opinion is that the job is almost completely inaccessible, but I think that's based on those two lines from Raya-O-Senna in the first few White Mage quests.

To respond to the section I've bolded, the point of my post is that finding 'some other way to learn it' is not necessary. I've seen White Mage RPers with stolen soul crystals, or who learned the art in secret, but never a legitimate legal White Mage (I am sure there are people RPing that, I just haven't seen it). From what I have read and quoted in my original post, the ability to learn it from a Padjal happens for more people than just the WoL specifically, and that alone makes it more common than the general consensus. It can still be rare, but I think it should be treated in the way that Viera and Miqo'te are supposed to be rare.

[Cleretic]

To respond to the section I've bolded, the point of my post is that finding 'some other way to learn it' is not necessary. I've seen White Mage RPers with stolen soul crystals, or who learned the art in secret, but never a legitimate legal White Mage (I am sure there are people RPing that, I just haven't seen it). From what I have read and quoted in my original post, the ability to learn it from a Padjal happens for more people than just the WoL specifically, and that alone makes it more common than the general consensus. It can still be rare, but I think it should be treated in the way that Viera and Miqo'te are supposed to be rare.

I mean, this is where the struggle of a non-Padjali White Mage comes: the Padjali are the only open practitioners, and they have a policy of not really sharing that one. All of your bolded statements look to me like them going 'we don't usually do this, but JUST THIS ONCE', which yeah, sounds about right. Conjury is the weaker version of white magic that the common people are 'allowed' to learn.

If you're roleplaying, that's not a 'no', though: that's a 'get clever'. The main gate's closed, find a window to jump into! It's more fun anyway, you want your character to have a story, why not have the reason they're a White Mage itself be an interesting part of that instead of just 'they did the thing from the job quests but they're not the Warrior of Light so it's just a lot less interesting'? You've got two and a half other jobs to pick from if you want to play a by-the-books legal healer (Scholar has separate barriers), not even including non-playable jobs like a Far Eastern healer; I think the appeal of RPing a White Mage is that you had to go through the back channels at some point, that there is this implied darkness to someone here doing the kindest possible thing.

In the context of roleplaying as a White Mage, it's literally easier and more effective to go off the beaten path than it is to adapt the job questline. And that's actually a feature, not a bug: very few jobs raise such an immediate, open question when someone cracks it out, that imply an immediate story that you don't necessarily know.