Jobs and RP

[andithael]

I know that Jobs and RP have been discussed a fair amount, but I couldn't find something quite like this (apologies if I missed it).

 

I've been reading a fair bit lately about Jobs in relation to RP. I've always chosen my classes/jobs/crafts/etc in games based on the character I am playing (even if not actively RPing them). FFXIV seems to make RPing your Job very difficult because the Jobs are often handled in the game story as one-of-a-kind, the PC is the first in a Age with the Gift, etc. As such it doesn't seem that common for people to incorporate their jobs into their RP in this game so this whole post might be a moot point, but in case there are people like me out there who like to mesh their PvE with their RP where they can...

 

I was wondering if there were (or maybe had been in the past even if no longer active) FC's that were conceptually built around the jobs or classes. Sort of like an extension of the in-game Guilds for each class (or maybe broken into role so as to be less limiting).

 

So, for example, you could have a Healers FC for players focused on Healing classes/jobs and within that FC you could devise a plot/storyline around the training and development of whatever skills, thus allowing a Conjurer to RP as a White Mage without actually being a White Mage as the game story understands it. You could devise your own Guild Lore based on the game lore, while tweaking the OP aspects down.

 

You could have Healers School as the concept of the FC (hopefully something more creatively named than Healers School lol) and it could be structured something like ...

 

Levels 1-30 are Apprentice and are Conjurers and Arcanists

Levels 30-50 are Journeymen and are White Mages or Scholars*

Levels 50-80 are Masters continuing in the Jobs from Journeyman tier or becoming an Astrologian.

Levels 80-future level caps are Grand Masters, same as above

 

*The jobs could even just retain their Class names in places like Conjurer where being a White Mage is often problematic and would be trickier to adapt the lore around. Or the guild could come up with its own names for the roles to differentiate them from the in-game concepts, while adapting the in-game version to a more RP-friendly (and therefore less WoL/OP) version. Personally, I like to stay as aligned with lore as I can, but I recognize that sometimes things need to change or at least be tweaked to work on a broader scale.

 

Similarly, you could have a Tanking School, and DPS Schools (again with better names) broken into Ranged Physical, Ranged Magic, and Melee Physical. Or you could go broader and have a Magic School encompassing all caster classes, whether healing or DPS. Maybe your Magic School requires people to have reached level 30 and selected a job before they join-- and that job will be the IC role, and if someone wants to change it, they would need to RP the process of learning a new skill set, etc. since in IC no one really has all the skills of all the classes and jobs the way the game allows.

 

In a lot of ways, this would be similar to a military-themed FC, really, just...with a focus built around the classes/jobs rather than a military order. Frankly, for all the non-magic classes, it would probably be a LOT like a military company with ranks and divisions based on the classes of choice.

 

Given that FFXIV allows for people to have multiple classes/jobs, having a FC of all IC Healers would not preclude your ability to run content with your FC mates as many of them would likely have leveled other classes as well, so the FC theme really only applies to the RP side of things.

 

 

I guess basically I am just wondering if anything like this has been tried and if not, is it something people would potentially be interested in? I mean, I'm not far enough in the game to consider myself equipped to try and launch an FC and have yet to even RP in game with anyone yet, but potentially, down the road, might give it a go...

 

Edited July 17, 2020 by andithael

[Faye]

Personally, I haven't seen anything like that before. I think FC's tend to prefer broader concepts since it's already difficult enough to establish a member base without making their theme too niche, but it would be a fun idea. The problem with most of the jobs isn't them being OP, but sometimes being difficult to learn and illegal to practice. White mage, for example, apart from being an art only taught by the Padjal to those they deem fit (who are, barring the WoL, other Padjal) is forbidden for others to practice. You could say the healing school have through their own research learned how to use some unique form of white magic, but it would still be a forbidden practice. But if all you're looking is a work around for how a character could have picked up a certain job's skills and knowledge, you don't need a whole FC storyline to justify it, in my opinion. Again with the white mage example, your character could have found a soul stone while exploring the ruins of Amdapor, or found a teacher somehow, or even managed to teach themselves. Unlikely as any of those may be, it's not exactly lore-breaking. The problem more so just lies in that on top that, it's forbidden IC and there would be ramifications if your character was ever caught using those abilities.

[andithael]

Right, so in the context of the healing school idea, WHM it would just be handled like extra advanced mastery of conjuring and not the actual White Mage idea as it exists in the lore. With similar adaptations made where necessary to avoid the conflict of illegality (unless it being some sort of underground thing, where the illegality is acknowledged and part of the FC's background story as well).

 

For my part, I am just looking for others potentially interested in RP built around arcanima and its study and application (so effectively an extension of the in-game guild), but thought that was likely too narrow, so figured extending it to schools based more around the general roles than a specific class/job would yield more results as far as maybe pointing me toward some guilds that do just that. But so far it seems the majority of RP FCs are either taverns, trading companies, mercenaries, or organized crime.