(08-15-2017, 05:29 PM)Threed Crowley Wrote: Is the sword and crystal medium combo restricted to red magic/mages? 'Cause.. I'd like to have a character use the chicken knife as a generic spellsword or something rather than roleplaying an actual Red Mageâ„¢.
Thaumaturgy (and Black Magic by extension) also uses crystals/gems fixed on the staff to collect the mage's aetherial energies. The staff itself serves as a focus channeling it right to the gem.
The staff is always made of aether conductive materials, like bone, electrum, or other similar metals (beware, some metals like gold are actually insulating).
Considering how the RDM questline seems to outright say that the Red Mages channel their own aether through their focus and right into their sword, I believe said swords must be conductive enough to focus such spells and enchanted melee moves.
In short, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to play a RDM using a staff or anything else than a sword, and vice versa. The medium is not important, the difference lies in the school of magic.
Balmung:Â Suen Shyu