Pengin
First Post
Speaking from how I've used Red Mages in FF1 parties in the past I've often made him my secondary fighter and had him using spells a lot more sparingly than my actual mages. His magic was more of a nice boon but not what I usually had him do. You could say that in my mind a Red Mage might think of doing something other than casting spells.
However, Drogerthy, I like the Red Mage laid out in your document. I feel that one could actually play the Red Mage and still be useful in combat. Capping them at 6th level magic shows their limits (though I think 7th would work just as well) but giving them an average BAB and some weapon proficiencies rounds them out rather nicely.
It looks like you based them almost exactly off of D&D bards, which isn't such a bad thing. But D&D bards, in addtion to the abilties printed here, have a few more things that round them out as a viable class. They do get the mage-related feats but I feel that could be removed in favor of other things.
Some changes I might make (other than the 7th level spell limit listed above) is giving them medium armor proficiency and martial weapon proficiency. Then again, I also see them as more martial than you do, so it's a bit more of a stylistic difference. I would give Red Mages the ability to ignore arcane spell failure from light armor (though certainly not medium) so they can fight armed and still cast spells like they did in FF1.
Those are just some suggestions; I think the three mage classes look pretty tight as is. I especially like the healing and elemental focus of the white and black mages, and the work on the spells is nice.
-Karl
However, Drogerthy, I like the Red Mage laid out in your document. I feel that one could actually play the Red Mage and still be useful in combat. Capping them at 6th level magic shows their limits (though I think 7th would work just as well) but giving them an average BAB and some weapon proficiencies rounds them out rather nicely.
It looks like you based them almost exactly off of D&D bards, which isn't such a bad thing. But D&D bards, in addtion to the abilties printed here, have a few more things that round them out as a viable class. They do get the mage-related feats but I feel that could be removed in favor of other things.
Some changes I might make (other than the 7th level spell limit listed above) is giving them medium armor proficiency and martial weapon proficiency. Then again, I also see them as more martial than you do, so it's a bit more of a stylistic difference. I would give Red Mages the ability to ignore arcane spell failure from light armor (though certainly not medium) so they can fight armed and still cast spells like they did in FF1.
Those are just some suggestions; I think the three mage classes look pretty tight as is. I especially like the healing and elemental focus of the white and black mages, and the work on the spells is nice.
-Karl