What's so important about taking the route of being a White Mage specifically?
It seems to me that (in the most commonly used sense) "White Mage" is ultimately a title that denotes a unique station, and unique abilities obtained and wrought in a very particular fashion. So therefore the way that one becomes a White Mage is simply by following the very procedural process outlined in the lore.
Now, if someone wanted to be a White Mage in all but name, there are countless ways to do this. I've paid a good bit of attention to the lore of magic in FFXIV, and a lot of it seems like it can be boiled down to building upon constructive or destructive processes. White Magic is described as power over life itself, whereas Black Magic is described as unprecedented destructive potential. But we hear about powerful and notable Conjurers and Thaumaturges all the time in the game. And they're so powerful that it's often hard to imagine how that can be topped in a meaningful way.
I believe that a sufficiently powerful Conjurer could be nearly indistinguishable from a White Mage. So many elements of knowledge, wisdom, insight and ability could simply closely resemble those of a White Mage but be attained through unique, even conventional means. The fact that the defining feature of being a White Mage seems to be having unprecedented power and authority naturally makes it a less than friendly position in a roleplay setting.
By simply being a powerful Conjurer, you could be a "White Mage" in all but name. Then you could invent whatever story you wish to elaborate on why your character has become good at what they do, and you wouldn't have to conform to the rare and limiting factors that make one able to become a legendary (and controversial) White Mage.
I agree with Eva that the best solution is to simply take the middle way, be exceptional, and stop short of the title itself. What more does anyone really need? Is a provocative title really that important to a character's development? Can't one simply be personally exceptional without the intervention of impossible circumstances?
It seems to me that (in the most commonly used sense) "White Mage" is ultimately a title that denotes a unique station, and unique abilities obtained and wrought in a very particular fashion. So therefore the way that one becomes a White Mage is simply by following the very procedural process outlined in the lore.
Now, if someone wanted to be a White Mage in all but name, there are countless ways to do this. I've paid a good bit of attention to the lore of magic in FFXIV, and a lot of it seems like it can be boiled down to building upon constructive or destructive processes. White Magic is described as power over life itself, whereas Black Magic is described as unprecedented destructive potential. But we hear about powerful and notable Conjurers and Thaumaturges all the time in the game. And they're so powerful that it's often hard to imagine how that can be topped in a meaningful way.
I believe that a sufficiently powerful Conjurer could be nearly indistinguishable from a White Mage. So many elements of knowledge, wisdom, insight and ability could simply closely resemble those of a White Mage but be attained through unique, even conventional means. The fact that the defining feature of being a White Mage seems to be having unprecedented power and authority naturally makes it a less than friendly position in a roleplay setting.
By simply being a powerful Conjurer, you could be a "White Mage" in all but name. Then you could invent whatever story you wish to elaborate on why your character has become good at what they do, and you wouldn't have to conform to the rare and limiting factors that make one able to become a legendary (and controversial) White Mage.
I agree with Eva that the best solution is to simply take the middle way, be exceptional, and stop short of the title itself. What more does anyone really need? Is a provocative title really that important to a character's development? Can't one simply be personally exceptional without the intervention of impossible circumstances?
