Intro
Xan and I have been discussing the ability system revamp extensively. One of the big problems we've run into is defining specific roles for players.
It's not so much of an issue coming up with the roles but rather making them work cohesively. The ability system we have now is pretty cool and I like the freeform aspect it brings to the game. However, I feel it's fairly difficult to create a challenging game when players have so many options.
It also presents a problem to newer players. The fact that there are so many choices can be a little off-putting for the casual player. Classes are easily understood: A cleric heals the party, a monk fights with his bare hands. So this leads me into the ability class system.
Zun's Proposed Ability Class System
Classes are a way to give players abilities which help promote a certain style of play.
For example, a healer has abilities which recover hit points, cure status ailments, and so on. A guardian has abilities which boost defense and cause enemies to focus their attention on them.
The following are some important things to take note of.
Class Benefits
Classes do not grant stat boosts of any kind by themselves. They merely change which abilities are available to the player at a single time.
Classes can be viewed as a way of grouping specific abilities which enhance a particular play style or role.
Equipment and skills will continue to play a vital role in enhancing the power of a player.
Class Switching
Classes are not permanent. They may be switched as many times as the player wants. There is no penalty to switching classes.
Players should be aware that switching classes can only be done inside of cities. You cannot switch classes out in the field.
Class Levels
Like skills, classes also have their own levels. As the player defeats enemies, they gain skill experience as well as class experience. Experience earned ONLY goes towards the player's main class. Experience is NOT awarded to the player's sub-class. If they wish to increase the level of their sub-class, they will need to switch the sub-class to their main class.
As the player's class level increases, they gain access to more abilities. It should be noted that these abilities should not negate the effectiveness of the previous levels' abilities. Higher levels should introduce more ways of playing.
Abilities will continue to be learned by using the appropriate ability disc but they can only be used once the player reaches the appropriate class level.
Sub-Classes
From the beginning, players may select only one class. After meeting the prerequisites (aka: a quest of some sort), the player may select a sub-class as well.
This allows the player access to all of the sub-class's abilities at that sub-class's particular level.
It is important to note that sub-classes are always at most HALF the level of the chosen main class. For example, if a player chooses to be a Guardian/Medic (essentially a paladin) here's how some situations would play out:
If guardian is level 30 and medic is level 26, the player would become 30 Guardian / 15 Medic. The extra medic levels do not take effect until the player levels up the guardian class.
If guardian is level 30 and medic is level 10, the player would become 30 Guardian / 10 Medic. They will need to level up the healer class in order to max it out.
Sub-classes can allow more freedom to the player because they won't be restricted by a single class. If they want to be a paladin, they choose Guardian / Medic. Alternatively, if they want to be a hybrid ether user they could go Medic/ Elementalist or Elementalist / Medic depending on which focus they want to use.
Equipment
Class selection does not negate the skill system. As I mentioned previously, the class only determines which abilities are available to the player at a single time. Equipment will continue to play a vital role in the game.
It should also be noted that although the classes are in some ways a restriction, the players are not limited to the intended play style.
For example, players can choose the Healer class and still use ranged weapons or heavy armor. They just won't get the benefits granted by the Gunslinger or Guardian class. In this way, the freedom still exists.
Determining whether or not a player can equip an item is still handled by their skill level. However, it's possible that we could introduce class specific equipment if we wanted.
Combat Abilities
Unlike the current system, combat abilities will not require essence to use. Instead, most combat abilities will have a cool-down period. The amount of time between uses will need to be carefully monitored.
Enmity
Enmity is an invisible value which determines what target an NPC selects. For more ideas on this, refer to Xan's post on the Tactical Gauge:
LinkyBasic Classes
These classes are available to players right from the start.
Guardian
Guardians are melee fighters which have an emphasis on enhancing defense, generating enmity, and protecting party members. They are designed not to deal high amounts of damage but instead to absorb damage and hold the attention of enemies. That way, the party members with less hit points won't be killed instantly.
Example Abilities: Provoke (Increases enmity), Shield Focus (Increases effectiveness of shields)
Medic
Medics focus on restoring the hit points of party members. They are also capable of removing status ailments and buffing party members' stats temporarily.
Example Abilities: Recover (Restores HP), Protect (Enhances physical defense), Wall (Enhances magical defense), Esuna (Eliminates a single status ailment)
Agent
Agents focus on the stealth aspect. They are able to move silently and hide from enemies. During combat they can deal extreme amounts of damage through the use of the 'Sneak Attack' ability. They are a unique class in that the abilities available to them modify the enmity levels of party members. For example, when used properly 'Trick Attack' will generate high amounts of enmity for the party member in front of the Agent.
Example Abilities: Stealth (Enhances hide and move silently skills), Sneak Attack (Extreme damage to a target but only if they are behind the target), Trick Attack (If a party member is between the assassin and the enemy, the party member gets an increased amount of enmity. The ability itself does low damage.)
Gunslinger
Gunslingers deal high amounts of damage from afar. They might focus on slow firing, high damage dealing weapons or quick firing, low damage dealing weapons. Using their abilities, they can also inflict status effects on a target such as blindness.
Example Abilities: Blind Fire (Inflicts blind on a target), Ranged Focus (Enhances the power of handguns, rifles, and automatic weapons), Barrage (Fires 3-5 shots at once)
Elementalist
Elementalists deal elemental damage via the use of ether abilities. They are also capable of inflicting status ailments on targets. There are also utility abilities like Gate and Escape which help parties get out of tight situations.
Example Abilities: Elemental Spells (Deal specific elemental damage to targets), Gate (Teleports caster back to the last mysterious obelisk touched), Escape (Teleports the entire party outside of a dungeon)
Extra Classes
Note: Although these classes must first be unlocked, they are not better than the basic classes. They simply provide different play styles for players.
These extra classes must first be unlocked by completing the correct mission. All extra classes start at level 1 once unlocked.
Commander
Commanders have the ability to boost the effectiveness of all party members within range. They do this by using 'Rally' abilities. Notably, Commanders enhance stats that cannot be enhanced by other classes. For example, they use the 'Ether Rally' ability which will enhance the essence regeneration of all party members within the area of effect.
Rallies don't require essence to use but they take longer to perform than ether abilities. It should also be noted that only two effects can be on a player per Commander at a time. For example, if you have two Commanders one can enhance essence and HP regeneration while the other enhances AB and STR. They cannot, however, both enhance HP regeneration.
If a player already has two rally effects and the Commander performs another, the oldest rally effect will be overwritten.
Example Abilities: Army Rally (Increases hit point regeneration), Elemental Ballad (Increases essence regeneration). Foe Rally (Acts as a poison to a single target. Stacks with other DoTs)
Manipulator
Manipulator are an extremely helpful utility class. They have abilities which mesmerize all targets within the area of effect. While mesmerized, the creatures will do nothing. However, if someone hits them they will no longer be mesmerized. This can be helpful for parties in dungeons because oftentimes there will be too many monsters for the group to fend off. Using mesmerize abilities, the party can pick off enemies one by one.
Manipulators also have increased essence regeneration. Coupled with this trait and the 'Transfer Essence' ability, they can continuously transfer essence to party members which will help in tight situations and lower the downtime between fights.
Example Abilities: Transfer Essence (Described above), Mesmerize (Described above), Refresh (Self-Only: Increases essence regenerated)
Assassin Under Revamp
Assassins are a melee damage dealing class.
Martial Artist
Martial Artists fight with their bare fists. Their abilities enhance this play style by increasing the AB for unarmed strikes, removing the attacks of opportunity while fighting unarmed, and there are also self buffs which can be used to enhance the martial artist's stats. They are mainly oriented towards damage dealing but due to abilities which increase HP, they can fill the role as a tank if needed.
Example Abilities: Unarmed Strike Specialization (Removes AOO), Inner Healing (Restores a small amount of HP to user), HP bonus (increases hit points)
" rather than just dishing out straight damage 
(not saying they don't inflict decent amounts of damage though 
)
I wouldn't have thought of it. So we probably keep some of the more defense-oriented abilities tied to Monk instead of Warrior (aside from shields), like counterattack and a small self-heal, right?
