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JFrombaugh · **05-03-2014, 02:06 AM**

The common recurring theme for the Scholar Job in the series is a military tactician who wields magic based around this. FFXIV's, although the fairies make it unique, was no exception according to Alka Zolka's translations.

The funny thing is, if you look at every Job in this game, pretty much ALL of them had some significant role in a military in the past, or still do today:

WHM & BLM - The overuse of both of these arts in warfare was what caused the aether flows to dry up, thus leading to the 6th Umbral Era.
DRG & MNK - Were/are elite soldiers of Ishgard and Ala Mhigo respectively
BRD - Is a Job designed around motivating soldiers in battle
PLD & WAR - Fighting is obviously everything to both of these Jobs

The only one that isn't very clear is SMN.

So that begs the question: If I'm RPing my character to be mostly an independent Adventurer who wants to fight for the greater good, yet isn't well suited personality-wise to being a "military woman" per se, is SCH actually a better fit than I realize, given that it doesn't really exist today and therefore isn't bound to serve a city state in the same way as a WHM or DRG would be?

ArmachiA · **05-03-2014, 10:40 AM**

Scholars were part of the Nym military, which is an ancient civilization and no longer exists. You can be whatever you want when you find the tablet.

Sounsyy · **05-03-2014, 12:53 PM**

(05-03-2014, 02:06 AM)JFrombaugh Wrote: So that begs the question: If I'm RPing my character to be mostly an independent Adventurer who wants to fight for the greater good, yet isn't well suited personality-wise to being a "military woman" per se, is SCH actually a better fit than I realize, given that it doesn't really exist today and therefore isn't bound to serve a city state in the same way as a WHM or DRG would be?

Considering 75% of those military factions to which Jobs belong don't exist any more, you're still perfectly fine playing any job without being a "military woman."

-The Monk and Lancer legions of Ala Mhigo were wiped out 20 years ago.
-Black Magic has long been forgotten, and forbidden to all who do remember it.
-White Magic is murky water, but they were the Magi of Amdapor, which was wiped out over 1600 years ago during the War of the Magi. The art was lost but then re-gifted to the Padjal for safe keeping 500 years ago. Until now, the art has never been trusted with outsiders. (Tried to make that as 'PC' as possible so we don't start a WHM brawl.)
-Summoners were the military might of the Allagan Empire, which was destroyed between 4000~5000 years ago.
-Scholars went extinct with Nym 1500 years ago.
-Warriors used to be mercenary forces, but the art died out centuries ago from disuse and now can only be found in isolated Hellsguardian villages in Abalatia's Spine.
-True Paladins are the royal guard of the Sultana.
-Free Paladins have no military ties. They are simply trained by the Sultansworn, but free to follow their own path.
-It's true, Bards inspired soldiers with powerful ballads on and off the battlefield. But the last war that they were used in such a capacity was the Autumn War which took place over 100 years ago.
-Dragoons are tied to Ishgardian elite military. The Dragoon title simply refers to any Ishgardian Knight that kills a dragon. The Azure Dragoon is chosen by Nidhogg's Eye once a generation. That tradition has lasted 700 years, until our Player Character screws it up lol.

So the only Jobs that are actually "nation-locked" are Paladins, Dragoons, and White Mages. Technically.

The revival of these arts is largely by random, independent adventurers and Scions, like yourself, happening across someone who is aware of one of these ancient arts. And by magical happenstance, they're willing to train you. So if you choose to become one of these ICly, you don't owe it to any nation to stick with them or their military. As a Scion you can do and go whatever or wherever you like.

JFrombaugh · **05-03-2014, 02:43 PM**

(05-03-2014, 12:53 PM)Sounsyy Wrote: So the only Jobs that are actually "nation-locked" are Paladins, Dragoons, and White Mages. Technically.

The revival of these arts is largely by random, independent adventurers and Scions, like yourself, happening across someone who is aware of one of these ancient arts. And by magical happenstance, they're willing to train you. So if you choose to become one of these ICly, you don't owe it to any nation to stick with them or their military. As a Scion you can do and go whatever or wherever you like.

Believe it or not, when I first did the storyline I paid very little attention to the bigger picture of things - I simply assumed that Scholar was more or less an ancient caster version of Dragoon and because of the arcane design of the spells they used, it would pretty much nullify the point of becoming one if you didn't intend to be a "military woman". This assumption is rather easy for a guy like me since in games like WoW, being a chauvinistic "soldier" is very much a stereotype, if not a hard fast rule.

AFAIK, Arcanists ARE "nation-locked", but from the storyline's point of view this only lasts until level 30, plus there IS the old Guildmaster who just "chose" to leave and now enjoys playing games with people.

(That's another thing I've just now picked up on, while obviously people can choose to RP an Arcanist any way they want to, in the story it is implied that the PC is actually fairly aloof, for instance on my second playthrough I realized that the old Guildmaster "didn't expect you to be so shy" when you find him later than expected due to apparently balking at the dancing. And even in the final SCH quest, the operation is largely "led" by the other Marauders.)

ansemaru · **05-07-2014, 10:11 AM**

Summoners weren't just the Allagan military might- they were specifically developed as a counter to the primals summoned by the people of Meracydia, which Allag was attempting to invade at the time. Content in the Binding Coil of Bahamut, however, implies that the summoners weren't the only weapon the Allagan Empire turned against the Meracydians, however.

Saefinn · **05-07-2014, 06:22 PM**

I would say it's not important.

Saefinn is a pirate captain from a family of mrchant sailors. He never had much brawn and was a keen thinker and a big reader - time at sea gave him ample opportunity to exercise his mind and he found himself well versed in the arcane. But discovered a treasure in Nymian ruins, which brought about him his first faerie and she's helped him learn much about the ways of a Scholar and helped him learn the arts.

I roleplay both of my faeries, his first was Eos (I call her Asarosa) and she was very shy and quiet to begin with, she found it hard to adapt. And now? She treats the captain like an unfaithful husband.

Her sister, Asaviola embraced the changes in the world with an overbearing confidence and inherited the captain's alcoholism.

I'd suggest the mi!itary background isn't the heart of what a Scholar is, at heart they are strategists and this is why it works so well for the captain.

Of course there's something else to consider, there's a level of archeology associated with it, because of the ancient nature and sense of curiosity, bear in mind too not only are Nymian ruins holding a wealth of knowledge but loot to attract adventurers. I would say there's a non military motive and you may learn the cways of the Scholar, just as people today my learn the way of the Samurai, for educational purposes.

SCH's military background - is it really that important?

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes