New job ideas and why they should be implemented (My Job: Time Mage)

[chrono fantasy]

The following I typed out on the new jobs prediction topic, but decided to make up my own topic for this for the ideas to be shared since I doubt many that already viewed that topic would go back there and find this here. You could also pick out a certain job you would like and give some ideas or details why it'd make a good job for this game.

I know these ideas won't be perfect, but it may give us some view from certain others perspectives. As for the job I chose, it was Time Mage, and here's why:

I used to go to ffcompendium.com all the time to look up FF game terms and such, and when I googled time mage, found the site again since I forgot about it. Here's a little something with time mages: http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/jobs/timemage.shtml

If Time mages are perhaps implemented, maybe SE can give them something like a float ability, not sure exactly what it'd do, but it could be AoE amongst the entire pty. And perhaps a Time Mage doesn't even need spells, or at least that many. Instead they can have certain abilities, like a 10 min ability to reduce weapon delays by 50% for 2-3 mins every 10 or 15 minutes, but cannot get this ability until lvl 40ish. That would be 50% haste but every once in a while?

A Time mage could also have something like a clock system, whether its an animated clock that appears when you use an ability to scroll clockwise randomly and come to a stop at a certain time, much like a corsair's animated dice, and at certain times on that clock, the Time Mage will do certain dmg, boost, debuff, etc. And this can be used every 2-5 mins?

If the animated clock isn't such a good idea, then maybe based on Vana'diels ingame time, an ability can be used that does almost the same corresponding to these times, or even the moon phase too. :O

There's so many ideas that people are giving out for a Time Mage, I don't see why they cannot be created in this FF game too. I think everyone keeps getting the idea that a Time mage would be much like a Rdm to do enfeebles and buffs and such, but in fact, SE can make a Time mage quite different, or even a little bit slightly, but still fun.

And since it is Time Mage, they would need at least some spells, so something like demi, gravity, quicken, reflect. They can have spells that do slightly the same thing like haste, but with different names and a little higher in percentage.

Quicken can be haste 20% at lvl 50, then at 65 then could have a AoE haste with the same percentage. Reflect can somehow make the mob gain hate on the Time Mage for a short time but only to casts its spell on it, then have that spell reflect back onto the mob, and it'd have something like a 30 seconds duration and reuse of 2 mins or so. I'm not sure how well that one would work out though..

So many people have been talking about this job though, and it'd just seem so odd to send us back to the past, but not have any time mages around, and I even suggested somewhere before that a Time Mage can have teleport spells much like a Whm does with tele-dem, holla, mea, etc. to move a party around to certain key locations spreaded apart, but they would only be able to use these teleport spells during the past, and another spell to transfer to one point from the past and present but at lvl 65.

I can't really think of anything atm right now, but I've seen a lot of other ideas, some good, some bad for a Time Mage job.

Edit: I just forgot to add too, a very important and awesome spell a Time Mage could get at lvl 75 lets say, is meteor... Maybe not as powerful, but quite decent enough to do at least 1k dmg.

 

[Skaw]

My idea for time mage affecting durations and recasts is far better suited for the structure of this game than simply giving them haste and slow spells.

It's also something that has not been done before, and adds a uniqueness to the job unrepresented by the others.

The problem with Demi is that it always did percentage based damage. This means the spell is both unnecessarily weak, and game-breakingly strong. It's something thats better left avoided, as shown by Ruinous Omen. Because it just means they'll put a hard-cap on the damage, or make it a slave to resists.

 

[Winklewil]

It's important to take into consideration, also, that "Vana'diel time" has a close relationship with the elemental wheel in FFXI. The possibilities of manipulation based on that alone are vast.

Elemental days of the week, moon phase, undead spawning at night, certain types of weather only occuring at certain times of day, SHOPS opening and closing based on which friggin' day it is and what bloody time it is ... it's all open for tinkering.


A lot of end-game equipment for black mages, for example, tends to be highly situational. They're extremely good in 5% - 10% of situations where you can use them, but tend to be better suited to gathering dust anywhere else. Imagine, for a moment, the possibility of temporarily "changing" the elemental day for your party, if only for a minute or two. Granted, this is a highly specialized, extremely specific kind of thing ... but, still, it's food for thought.

Of course, the benefits wouldn't necessarily be limited to a black mage's elemental magic -- anything, from elemental-affiliated weapon skills, skillchains, debuffs, cures ... even strengths/weakness of mobs based on their elemental affiliations, could all come into play.



As for "Quick" or "Quicken," I see little reason for it not to be implemented exactly as it has been in previous Final Fantasy titles -- a free, instant-cast ability, in one go, free of cooldown. As long as we you don't bring 2-hours into the mix, it shouldn't really be gamebreaking. It's basically a two-shot Chainspell, for anything. It could range from something as mundane and useless as "Steal"ing twice in a row, to pow-powing AM2 on HNMs with teams of black mages and time mages. Imagine six BLMs, six TIMs, and their partnership allowing a Burst II magic burst to occur twice in a row, on the SAME damn skillchain.

That could indeed enter the realm of game-breaking, but it would be damn cool. Hey, instead of just making it a spell, why not have it be a ten-minute ability, a la "Elemental Seal," "Divine Seal," or "Convert"?



Other spells that we don't get, like "Stop" (a longer-lasting Stun, hopefully, and an alternative to Sleep or Bind for party-saving crowd control), "Float" (I'm sure some uses for it could come about, in newer areas), "Meteor," and upgrades to "Haste" and "Slow" are all goodies that one could pick from. Chrono's idea of the time mage having native "Teleport" spells to the new areas is also something I particularly like.

I must admit, I'm a tad frightened it'll be another Summoner-type, in which the novel utility of the job is something that is seldom used, and people will invite only for the /WHM sub. In order for the job to truly gain its own identity, it has to be done well, it has to be done skillfully ... the job has to be built "right." I'm all for them trying it, though.

I mean, just look at the Time Mage "traditional" garb, which would no doubt be translated into Artifact Armor:

... so deliciously ridiculous. I love it.

 

[Tristam Green]

Float could give a high resistance to Gravity? It'd be useful against mobs that cast Graviga :\


Not to go off-topic, but I feel this fits well here. Stine and I were thinking of new tank jobs, and Gladiator comes to mind. Perhaps a JA like Mighty Misses where each hit becomes critical, but maybe for a shorter time? Gladiator could bring hate to itself by large spikes of damage...

 

[Dayner]

i think demi line spell is going to be too strong for MMO if not overpower

my idea on time mage is DoT spell Enhancing/Enfeebling , like making regan last longer or make it heal more hp or weaken enmey regan by cutting the Duration or even make it heal less

also a spell that temporary disable 1 or more of enmey WS/spell well be good , kinda work like Amnesia.

 

[Negorissimo]

The Time-Mage job will be very helpful to all the other jobs with abilities/spells like: Haste 2, 2hr Reset and No Delay spellcasting. He needs Teleports and Warp too.

 

[Khajit]

The Time-Mage job will be very helpful to all the other jobs with abilities/spells like: Haste 2, 2hr Reset and No Delay spellcasting. He needs Teleports and Warp too.

if a time mage would teleport wouldnt it be more of a.... swap into the different time zones easier thing? like for example being in ronfuare with orcs about and teleporting to the original ronfuare.

 

[Negorissimo]

if a time mage would teleport wouldnt it be more of a.... swap into the different time zones easier thing? like for example being in ronfuare with orcs about and teleporting to the original ronfuare.

oh i like that. Time Jump! If you cast it in an area it takes you to that same area years before.

 

[chrono fantasy]

Well that'd kind of be cheap to time warp right on the spot in that zone, there'd have to be one particular portal or something a Time mage would warp to and from the past, maybe if there happens to be a Tavnazia in the past and they use the past warp move, it'd only warp them to a certain portal in Tavnazia in the past. Then when they use the warp spell back to the future, it'd only warp them to a portal lets say in jeuno or one particular spot for now.

Yeah, I was kind of thinking demi wouldn't be too great to implement otherwise they'd own if not resisted with 1/4 dmg, but perhaps demi could be a different spell all together... instead of dmg, it can take off 1/4 less def, eva, acc, etc. all in one... or maybe not since it was always a dmg spell I suppose.

I also read somewhere before about a dual-magic casting combo before for an ideal Time Mage, that they'd be able to cast two spells consecutively, but maybe that may be a little broken too unless they made that only available with an ability.

 

[Negorissimo]

Time Warp on the spot will give the job exclusivity (ala RDM or BRD w/MP refresh spells). But it would be for a limited time only, because as soon as everyone is up with the WoTG missions Time Mage's teles will become obsolete. Unless there are big item NMs in the past areas that would maintain the time traveling constant after the missions are done.

 

[Siviard]

New Job Suggestion?

Recently read about there being new jobs coming with the upcoming expansion.

I sure hope one of those new jobs is a dedicated tank class job. Yes I know there were other jobs that were "supposed" to be tanks, but the FFXI community has somehow turned those jobs that were supposed to be tank class jobs into simple "cannon fodder" DD type jobs.

My hope is that they come up with a new TRUE tank class job where they made 2-handed weapons such as Great Axe, Great Sword, and Polearms high rated weapons, and 1-handed weapons such as Axe, Sword, Club, etc. low rated weapons to prevent people from subbing /NIN and turning this new job into another cannon fodder job.

Besides, there have been many a time where I'll form a party, get 5/6, then wait for 30 minutes to an hour looking for a PLD or NIN to tank. Frankly, I'm getting tired of that.

 

[Tristam Green]

My hope is that they come up with a new TRUE tank class job where they made 2-handed weapons such as Great Axe, Great Sword, and Polearms high rated weapons, and 1-handed weapons such as Axe, Sword, Club, etc. low rated weapons to prevent people from subbing /NIN and turning this new job into another cannon fodder job.

I thought that WAR had an A+ in Great Axe, but I fully agree with you here. Great Sword has needed an A+ job for a while.


Oh yeah, and to beat the dead horse: we need a third tank job, or Warriors need to learn how to tank (again, lolz).

 

[Mishaela]

My hope is that they come up with a new TRUE tank class job where they made 2-handed weapons such as Great Axe, Great Sword, and Polearms high rated weapons, and 1-handed weapons such as Axe, Sword, Club, etc. low rated weapons to prevent people from subbing /NIN and turning this new job into another cannon fodder job.

DRK, DRG, SAM and WAR all get A+ 2-handed weapons...and two of them were originally designed to be tank jobs (SAM and WAR) and all of them can hold their ground rather well if they actually take up a defensive setup.

But the thing is, Shields lower damage more than Parry ever will; a tank even using a 2-handed weapon is really a contradiction in itself. Maybe if they had some kind of shield that can be worn with 2h weapons (technically, Targe -should- work that way), it'd be a different story...but for now that's not the case. =/

 

[Rufus_Shinra]

Hmmm, maybe an ability called Overclock. As a 2 hour.

Everyone in the party gets doubled or cut in half. Damage x2, Curesx2, Cast Time 1/2, Weapon Delay 1/2.

To "speed" the battle up. Though I do agree that would be a little overpowered.

Im still all for Skaws idea on adjusting Recast timers.

 

[Tristam Green]

Don't cut Tarutarus in half, you wouldn't be able to see them then ><

 

[Siviard]

Well, my idea was having a tank class job with high ratings in 2-handed weapons along with high Parrying skill. (guess I should have thrown that in there earlier)

 

[Tristam Green]

Corsair got that shit-end of the deal, though

 

[Siviard]

COR/WAR Parry tank FTW!!!1!1one!1!

Um.....yeah....right...

I'd like to see "Gladiator" (GLD) for short.

 

[Tristam Green]

Or it could be the obligatory Precise COR/NIN "i r leet dual-wielding like Jack Sparrow" for the win ._.

edit: GLD/MNK ftmfw, I think. Something to finally provide viability to a MNK sub.

 

[Siviard]

Or it could be the obligatory Precise COR/NIN "i r leet dual-wielding like Jack Sparrow" for the win ._.

edit: GLD/MNK ftmfw, I think. Something to finally provide viability to a MNK sub.

GLD can onry equip Harness/Subligar style armor, have high ratings in Great Axe, Great Sword, and Polearm ONRY, but also have an A- in Parrying skill......GLD/MNK FTW! Parry/Counter tank!