pathFinal Fantasy

© Square Enix, Final Fantasy XIV

Several paths exist for adventuring and for heroism. Some become Black Mages, and use destructive force to eliminate evil. Some become Fighters, and become a sword and shield for the weak and helpless. Some become White Mages, those selfless healers who mend the land before them. However, to a certain group of versatile-minded individuals, a fourth road exists, with many of the stepping stones of the other two. Garbed in clothes of crimson, holding themselves with panache and flamboyancy, the Red Mage is a jack of all trades who practices healing and offensive magic, as well as the ability to fight reliably. Although they lack the raw prowess of a trained Fighter or Knight, their unique magical sting grants them a potent advantage in maintaining the balance of the world.

Role: Red Mages can utilize a number of basic roles, from being a pressing offence with their enchantment and proficiency with a variety of equipment, to a frontline healer thanks to their ability to dodge attacks and wield light armor. Their quest for versatility also lends them a wide berth of practical skills and abilities, allowing them to be a relative jack of all trades. Such is their flamboyancy and magnetic personality that many become leaders and heroes; sometimes not even fully donning the Red.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: D8

Starting Wealth: 4d6 x 10 gp (average 140 gil). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gil or less.

Class Skills

The Red Mage’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana, Planes) (Int), Perception (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), and use Magical Device

Skill Ranks Per Level: 6 + Int modifier

Table: Red Mage

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the red mage.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A red mage is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, mage weapons (ranged and melee), estocs and spiral rapiers. A red mage is also proficient with mage armour, light armor, light shields and bucklers including the mage's buckler.

Limit Breaks

At 1st level, a Red Mage gains the ability to use limit breaks. At the start of each day the Red Mage chooses Battle, Arcane or Daredevil as his limit break mode. When a Red Mage uses a limit break, they may use a limit break from their chosen mode or the following limit break, unique to them:

Ruby Versatility (Ex): This limit break allows the Red Mage the ability to shift it's potential at a moment's notice. Upon activating this Limit Break, the Red Mage can switch their current limit break mode to a different one they have access to and activate a generic limit break of the new mode. This Limit Break costs 5 points of their limit break gauge and can be activated at any time they have 5 points, even if this is less than half their gauge. This limit break can be performed as a free action.

Spells

A red mage casts red magic spells which are drawn from the red mage spell list. A red mage begins play with 3 red mage spells. The red mage also selects a number of additional spells equal to his Charisma modifier to add to his list of spells. Each time a character attains a new red mage level, he gains two spells of his choice to add to his list of spells. Like most mages, a red mage can find or purchase scrolls with spells to add to his repertoire. A Red Mage can cast Red Mage spells without incurring the normal spell failure chance while using light shields, bucklers and light armor. Like any other spellcaster, a Red Mage wearing medium armor, heavy armor, heavy shields, or tower shields incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass Red Mage still incurs the normal spell failure chance (if any) for spells received from other classes.

While a red mage can actively augment his spells up to his caster level, the red mage is somewhat limited in the base cost of spells, as noted on the table above. This does not affect the maximum MP a red mage can spend on spells, just the maximum base cost or passive augmentation he can use. For example, a 6th level red mage cannot cast Fira (Which has a base cost of 5), but he is allowed to spend 6MP on Fire for 6d6 points of damage.

To learn or cast a spell, the red mage must have a charisma score equal to or greater than the base MP cost of the spell. The Difficulty Class for saving throws against the red mage's spells is 11 + half the MP spent to cast the spell + the red mage’s charisma modifier.

The Red Mage Spell List is here.

Characters gain bonus MP for having a high ability score. The ability score for the red mage class is charisma. Determining how much bonus MP you get is actually a very simple calculation: Your charisma modifier x your caster level x 0.5.

Cantrips

Red Mages learn a number of cantrips or 0-level spells. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume MP and may be used again. Red mages begin with 2 0-level spells and gain an additional 0-level spell every four levels after 1st level. The saving throw of a cantrip is 10 + the red mage's charisma modifier.

Spell Proficiency (Ex)

Red mages are considered to have the Precise Shot feat while casting spells, using class features that require ranged touch or using any magical items that require ranged touch.

Arcane Pool (Su)

At 1st level, the red mage gains a reservoir of mystical arcane energy that he can draw upon to fuel his powers, enhance his weapon and perform amazing actions in combat. At the start of each day, a red mage gains a number of points in his arcane pool equal to his Charisma modifier (minimum 1). His arcane pool goes up or down throughout the day, but usually cannot go higher than his Charisma modifier (minimum 1), though feats and magic items can affect this maximum. A red mage spends points from his arcane pool in a number of ways, and regains points in the following ways:

Critical Hit with a Light or One-Handed Melee Weapon or Spell: Each time the red mage confirms a critical hit with a light or one-handed melee weapon or spell, he regains 1 point in his arcane pool (If he confirms a critical hit with a spellstrike, he still only gains 1 point). Confirming a critical hit on a helpless or unaware creature or a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half the red mage’s character level doesn’t restore points.

Killing Blow with a Light or One-Handed Melee Weapon or Spell: When the red mage reduces a creature to 0 or fewer hit points with a light or one-handed melee weapon or spell attack while in combat, he regains 1 point in his arcane pool. Destroying an unattended object, reducing a helpless or unaware creature to 0 or fewer hit points, or reducing a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half the red mage’s character level to 0 or fewer hit points doesn’t restore any points.

A red mage can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any weapon he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 2nd the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves.

At 5th level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, earthen, earthen burst, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, jetstream, jetstream burst, keen, roaring, roaring burst, shock, shocking burst, speed, or vorpal.

Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. These properties are added to any the weapon already has, but duplicates do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. These bonuses and properties are decided when the arcane pool point is spent and cannot be changed until the next time the red mage uses this ability. These bonuses do not function if the weapon is wielded by anyone other than the red mage.

A red mage can only enhance one weapon in this way at one time. If he uses this ability again, the first use immediately ends.

Mage Focus (Su)

At 1st level, a red mage gains access to a special reservoir of energy known as a Mage's Focus. At any time a red mage may spend a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity to become focused.

The red mage can expend his focus on any single concentration check he makes thereafter. When he expends his focus in this manner, his concentration check is treated as if you rolled a 15. It’s like taking 10, except that the number he adds to his concentration modifier is 15. He can also expend his focus to gain the benefit of certain class features or feats.

Once the red mage is focused, he remains focused until he expends his focus, become unconscious, or goes to sleep (or otherwise rests for 8 hours).

A red mage can become focused even if he has depleted his MP pool.

Expending his focus to power a feat, class feature, or any other ability only powers a single effect. He cannot gain the benefit of multiple abilities that require expending focus by expending his focus once; each effect requires its own instance of expending focus.

Arcane Blade (Su)

The Red Mage may turn a ranged touch attack or ray into a melee touch attack. By doing this, they increase their damage dice by one step (1d4 becomes 1d6, 1d6 becomes 1d8, etc)

Red Mage Path (Ex)

At first level, a Red Mage chooses a Path to dedicate themselves to, modifying their abilities. See Red Mage Paths for more detail.

Spell Combat (Ex)

At 2nd level, a red mage learns to cast spells and wield his weapons at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast. To use this ability, the red mage must have one hand free, while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –4 penalty and can also cast any spell from his red mage spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty). If he casts this spell defensively, he can decide to take an additional penalty on his attack rolls, up to his Charisma bonus, and add the same amount as a circumstance bonus on his Concentration check. If the check fails, the spell is wasted, but the attacks still take the penalty. A red mage can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but if he has more than one attack, he cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks.

Spellstrike (Su)

At 2nd level, whenever a red mage casts a touch (melee or ranged) spell from the red mage spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a red mage can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the red mage makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon’s critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.

Ruby Arcana

As he gains levels, a red mage learns arcane secrets tailored to his specific way of blending martial puissance and magical skill. Starting at 3rd level, a red mage gains one ruby arcana. He gains an additional ruby arcana for every three levels of red mage attained after 3rd level. Unless specifically noted in a ruby arcana’s description, a red mage cannot select a particular ruby arcana more than once.

Ruby arcana that affect spells can only be used to modify spells from the red mage spell list unless otherwise noted.

Ruby Arcana can be found Here

Quick Cast (Ex)

Beginning at 4th level a red mage can cast one spell on the red mage list as a swift action by expending his mage focus, so long as the casting time of the spell is 1 standard action or less.

Ruby Adrenaline (Ex)

At 4th level, the red mage gains a knack for getting out of trouble. The red mage can spend 1 point from his arcane pool as an immediate action before attempting a saving throw to add his Charisma modifier to the result of the save. He must choose to do this before the roll is made. This does not stack with other abilities that allow him to add his charisma modifier to his saves, such as Light's Grace or Unholy Resistance.

Duelist Weapon Training

At 5th level, a red mage gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with a single weapon group (or the weapon groups chosen for Paths or Archetypes that use Ruby Finesse). These attack and damage bonuses increase by 1 for every 4 levels beyond 5th level (to a maximum of +4 at 17th level).

Ruby Acceleration (Su)

Beginning at 5th level, a red mage can overpower his spellcasting through sheer force of will. Whenever a red mage casts a spell he can choose to accelerate it. If he does so, he gains a +2 bonus to his caster level with that casting of the spell. The caster level boost gives him the ability to augment his spells to a higher degree than he otherwise could, but does not otherwise allow him to cast spells he ordinarily couldn't. (For example, he must still wait until level 7 to cast base cost 5 spells or to use 5-cost passives); however, he pays no extra MP for this. Instead, the additional 2 MP that would normally be required to augment the spell is effectively supplied by the acceleration. At levels 9, 13 and 17, he boosts his caster level by an additional +2. The red mage always accelerates for the maximum amount possible, as overcharging spells in this way is imprecise.

This acceleration only pays for the additional cost, the red mage still pays the MP costs he normally would. For example, at 7th level, the red mage can spend 7MP to cast Fira, however the spell would be cast as though he had a caster level of 9 and behave as if he had spent 9MP to cast it.

However, pushing oneself by accelerating a spell is dangerous. Immediately after each acceleration, the red mage has a 15% chance to lose a number of hit points equal to his caster level and become staggered on his next turn. The red mage may expend his focus to convert this damage into MP loss, although he is still staggered.

A red mage can also expend his focus to cast a spell without paying any MP, powering the spell with only his acceleration. He casts the spell as if all MP were paid by his acceleration. This results in the spell being cast as though the base cost of the spell was paid (Or the minimum MP required to passively augment a spell was spent), along with augmentation equal to his acceleration amount, but the spell may not be augmented beyond this.

Using this ability has a 30% chance to cause the red mage to lose HP. In order to accelerate in this fashion again, the red mage must either wait 10 minutes (But can still accelerate normally during this time) or spend a point from his arcane pool.

Quick Mind (Su)

Starting at 6th level, the red mage may expend their mage focus take an additional swift or immediate action in a round that can be used with red mage class features or spells. This does not increase the normal limit of one swift cast spell per turn.

At 12th level, the red mage may instead take an additional two swift or immediate actions (in any combination) that can be used with red mage class features or spells. At 18th, they may instead perform three additional swift or immediate actions (in any combination) that can be used with red mage class features or spells.

Improved Spell Combat (Ex)

At 8th level, the red mage’s ability to cast spells and make melee attacks improves. The standard penalty they take when using Spell Combat reduces to -2. In addition, when using the spell combat ability, the red mage receives a +2 circumstance bonus on concentration checks, in addition to any bonus granted by taking an additional penalty on the attack roll.

Fighter Training (Ex)

Starting at 10th level, a red mage counts half his total red mage level as his warrior level for the purpose of qualifying for feats. If he has levels in warrior, these levels stack.

Jack-of-All-Trades (Ex)

Also at 10th level, the red mage can use any skill, even if the skill normally requires him to be trained. At 15th level, the red mage considers all skills to be class skills. At 19th level, the red mage can take 10 on any skill check, even if it is not normally allowed.

Greater Spell Combat (Ex)

At 14th level, the red mage gains the ability to seamlessly cast spells and make melee attacks. Their standard penalty to Spell Combat is reduced to 0. In addition, whenever he uses the spell combat ability, his concentration check bonus equals double the amount of the attack penalty taken..

Counterstrike (Ex)

At 16th level, whenever an enemy within reach of the red mage successfully casts a spell defensively, that enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from the red mage after the spell is complete. This attack of opportunity cannot disrupt the spell.

Ruby Knowledge (Su)

At 17th level, the red mage gains access to an expanded spell list. He learns 7 spells from the black mage’s spell list and 7 spells from the white mage's spell list as red mage spells of their black mage or white mage base cost. He gains one of each of the following spells not on the red mage spell list from each list:

Cantrip, 1-2 Base MP cost, 3-4 Base MP cost, 5-6 Base MP cost, 7-8 Base MP costl, 9-10 Base MP cost, and 11-12 Base MP cost.

He can ignore the somatic component of these spells, casting them without the normal chance of spell failure.

Red Wizard (Su)

At 20th level, the red mage becomes a master of spells and combat. Whenever he uses his spell combat ability, he does not need to make a concentration check to cast the spell defensively. Whenever the red mage uses spell combat and his spell targets the same creature as his melee attacks, he can choose to either increase the DC to resist the spell by +2, grant himself a +2 circumstance bonus on any checks made to overcome spell resistance, or grant himself a +2 circumstance bonus on all attack rolls made against the target during his turn.

Alternate Capstone:

Bloody Duelist (Su)

At 20th level, when a red mage threatens a critical hit with a weapon he selected with Ruby Finesse, that critical hit is automatically confirmed. Furthermore, the critical multipliers of such weapons increase by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, and so on). Additionally, Spellstrike’s critical hit modifier limit increases to x3.

Archetypes

Favoured Class Bonus

A character of any race may choose to gain +1 MP whenever they take a level of red mage, rather than any other favoured class bonus.