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Final Fantasy XI Discussion Board	Discussion Boards -> General
INT and Black Magic

From: Bastokan_mm Registered User Posted: 2006-01-20 13:17:48	Reply Quote
I am running a 40RDM/20BLM and currently sitting at 42+16 INT (Before food). I really have two questions: 1) What exactly is the modifier for high INT when using a Black Magic spell? -and- 2) Would it be better to focus some of my gear away fron INT (ex: Wisdom Rings => Electrum / Ether / Mana Ring) Or to keep increasing my INT? Thank you in advance for your responce.

From: Asriel
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Posted: 2006-01-20 14:27:38

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Each point of INT adds a few points of damage to your spell, more damage depending on the tier of the spell. It is not a large ammount however, only a few points, but it is still good to raise.

It is also good to keep a balance of MP along with that INT, so do not focus entirely too much on one thing. MP gear is more important for non-tarutaru races, while Tarus can do whichever they feel like.

However, the most important aspect for a BLM is Elemental Skill gear, though there is very few of it available at low levels. Invest in an Ice (and Dark) staff, as soon as you hit 51, and do AF Hands as soon as you can.

From: shomeguy
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Posted: 2006-01-21 15:20:15

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Quote from: Asriel
However, the most important aspect for a BLM is Elemental Skill gear, though there is very few of it available at low levels. Invest in an Ice (and Dark) staff, as soon as you hit 51, and do AF Hands as soon as you can.

please learn to read, he is a rdm asking about black magic not a blm. elemental magic is ok for blms but not #1 priority untill your into endgame where they are 15lvls over you.

as rdm, don't focus to much on your "nuking" damage. rdm has shady elemental magic skill so any boost you can get in that helps. don't nuke unless your doing magic burst your waisting precies mp. if your taru, carry a set of mnd and int rings to swap depending on what spell your using.

white magic - mind
black magic - int

if your not a taru though, i'd just skip out on the mnd and int rings untill you've used up all your mp from electom rings. there is not 1 set of gear for everything, thats why we have macros to make equipment swaps.

btw, get all 8 staffs befor lvl 51. use each staff acording to the spell your casting for a magic accuracy bonus. they will help you stick enfebbles better.

From: Omradelf Guest Posted: 2006-02-11 12:17:38	Reply Quote
I macro in int rings/elemental staves/magic cuisses for nukes, and then back to MP rings/AF on RDM... Extra INT always pwns for nukes

From: Ghlin
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Posted: 2006-02-21 07:22:23

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Everyone who has posted before me has given you semi-useless advice. My post is long.

Redmage is one of the least gear-oriented jobs. In fact, you could party effectively naked. (Staves are about the only exception, these are a must-have. I hate to be a conformist on the staff issue, but they're more important than Artifact Armor.)

So what is a RDM to do when he heads out to gear himself? That's the thing, he doesn't really need anything. So you should just try to take each item slot individually, picking out the best for that particular slot. Whatever gets you the most of a lot of different stats is the best.

On MP gear:

MP Gear for a RDM is not really useful. You have Refresh and Convert. If your MP pool is running low at all tiems, either you have problems or your party does.

Yes, it's dandy to macro-in MP+ gear for convert. With just the electrum pieces that's an extra 65 MP for help with curing yourself. If you do this, you're making yourself all the better. Go for it.

Beyond that, RDMs shouldn't sweat MP. Don't be a bad RDM and only have MP+ gear. You really can't use that much MP. I've seen RDM's pile it on and on. It's a waste. Also, your AF isn't good because it does a few MP+ here and there. The AF is actually not all that great aside from the hat. Which brings me to my next topic.

On RDM AF:

Don't use it in a party situation. The AF is not good. Aside from the hat, there are superior alternatives in each slot.

I'll cover each item.

The body piece's big stat is Enfeeble Skill +15. You really shouldn't have trouble landing enfeeblement. If you don't have the staves, this would be a different situation. Seriously though, there is an item that is difficult to get, but nonetheless better.

The Glamor Jupon does a little bit of everything. You'll get a little Enfeebling skill. More importantly, you'll get Elemental skill. The jupon is obtained through the subligara in phomiuna aqueducts. So it's hard to get. I don't know how to compare it to a coffer hunt, but it's similar.

You also have some other options with Black/Flora cotahardie and Jaustacorps.

Of course, this is mostly my opinion. But, I cannot recall a time an enfeeblement has missed. I know it's here and there, but even so, it doesn't constitute focusing purely on Enfeebling Skill. You'll still miss here and there even if you have every Enfeebling Skill + item you can get your hands on.

Why? Spells that will miss are Silence, Gravity, and Slow. A lot of EXP monsters are extremely resistant to Earth based spells. Another point, what do you cast Silence on? Mages, bards, etc. A Bard has resist silence. A Whm has an uncanny Magic Defense. Not to mention spell casting mobs cast Shell on their friends. Why does Gravity miss? Your first cast probably won't. But your second cast will. Gravity is unusual in that the monster slowly builds a resistance to it after each time the spell is cast on it.

These reasons for spells missing do not constitute spending 3 million on an earring for 3 points of enfeebling. This just means you're going to have trouble with certain monsters as a mage. A good RDM will just notice his enfeeble missed and recast it. It *will* land a second cast. Unless it's Gravity. Maybe someone needs an HQ Wind staff?

Back to staves then. I've played as a WHM using staves and landed enfeeblement. A RDM w/ his A+ over a WHM w/ his C- (?) in enfeebling will do just the same. Enfeebling skill is really a wasted investment.

If you still like the tabbard and still want to be an enfeebling skill monger, go for it.

Ok now the easier ones.

Hands: Parrying Skill? 13 MP? Useless. 13 MP isn't even an extra Cure II. Go for Raven/Crow gloves or Sly Gauntlets.

Legs: 160 Healing skill I think allows you to do a full Cure IV. If your skill isn't capped or something, maybe the legs will help you out. Honestly, you probably won't need to drop Cure IV that much before you hit 160 Skill. But another 13 MP is once again not even a Cure II.

Oh, so the +3 MND is good? Look here: Magic Cuisses +3 INT +3 MND.

(Of note: The Magic Cuisses look terrible. I'm not a fan of the tights though either. If you're "looks" conscious, try Baron's Slops. hMP+1 is nigh uselss, but isn't something to totally ignore.)

Warlock's Boots are once again offereing that small amount of MP. It's only 11 this time. Even if you add all three MP+s together you only get what? 37 MP? I don't think that's a Cure III. I mean, you're going to have around 400 MP and Conserve MP anyways. +37 MP is useless.

You're going to have to use your imagination on feet gear. If you're human use Custom M Boots. Otherwise mannequin pumps could be fun. Although they're really hard (and expensive) to get. Raven/crow feet are good if you're using Sly Guantlets (or another hand gear). If you can't find anything else, just stick w/ the Warlock's Boots, but at least understand there Are better alternatives.

The Hat is the best gear for its slot. However, if you are in your nation's controlled area, the Republic Circlet blows it away.

Ultimately, I find it surprising that I sight other RDM's using the entire set. I've partied and been asked why I do not use it! Rediculous. I've shown you why it's not good. It saddens me that other RDMs don't realize this.

On MND or INT gear:

It's pretty much common knowledge that MND affects white magic spells and that INT affects black magic spells. Ok now what?

All right, macro swap for each type is one option. This would involve having the best MND gear for each slot and the best INT gear for each slot.

This is a pretty intense amount of gear. The fact of the matter is that most people shouldn't be expected to carry that much gear. It's not practical. It's not cost-effective. It's not easily macroed if you're doing staves already.

Gear swapping is a great concept here and there. (Convert and Staves of course). Having a black silk neckerchief for just ONE Int is a waste of an item slot. Having two solace rings and two wisdom rings is extremely expensive. There's an easier alternative. A RDM should use his spells to his advantage.

If you're subbing BLM like any good RDM does, you have access to a beautiful spell: Shock. Shock lowers your oponents MND. It's an INT based spell. Joy. You can get MND by having INT. There are also gear compromises you should be aware.

You can get a whopping 5 MND from one slot by using the Promise Badge. You're only missing out on 1 INT from Black Silk. On your back piece you'll get equal amounts MND and INT from Red Cape. Belt-wise, you can go equal parts both with Reverend Sash. Basically, there are gears friendly to both stats. Get them instead. What about jewelery?

Earrings? Geist or Morion? Neither. Moldavite and Elemental earrings.

Rings? MND or INT? If you want to gear swap, this might be the place to do it. If you dont want to, go with INT. You get more bang for your slot on INT.

INT helps a lot more spells than MND does. MND helps Silence, Slow, and Paralyze. It barely helps cures. It helps them so insignificantly, that it's not worth giving MND any credit for it. INT helps your most important spells that *need* help.

If you're in a sticky situation, every extra second on Sleep helps a lot. Sleep lasts longer the more INT you have. Also, you're competing with the BLM on MB. INT directly affects how much damage you deal on a nuke. (RDM INT mongers can out-Int not so INT mongering BLMs.)

INT Spells
Blind
Gravity
Elemental Enfeeblement, Shock, Burn, Choke, etc
Nukes

MND Spells
Paralyze
Slow
Silence

With ALL that said, back to the OT's Original Questions.

Q: What exactly is the modifier for high INT when using a Black Magic spell?

A: We're not entirely sure. Most people agree (including myself) agree that it's something like 2 INT = 1 Magic Accuracy. (There was another topic about this.)

Also, there is an IGN post about the exact formulas on Nuke damage. It's pretty damn confusing. I'd check Allakhazam's BLM board for more on that. Basically each point of INT that you have is compared to each that the monster has. This comparison goes through an equation that basically ends up that each INT adds a bit of damage to your nuke. It's a very linear amount.

It's also important to note that tier 1 and tier 2 nukes receive the same amount of extra damage from each point of INT. Tier 3 and Agas benefit more from INT.

Another note is that there is a threshold. As in a point where you can have so much INT that you would not benefit from adding more INT. But the threshold is spell to spell. It seems that the threshold gets pretty big with really high tier nukes. A lot is unknown.

Here's the entire story if you're interested.

http://vnboards.ign.com/The_Black_Mage/b22534/71671225/?4

Q: Would it be better to focus some of my gear away fron INT (ex: Wisdom Rings => Electrum / Ether / Mana Ring) Or to keep increasing my INT?

A: I basically answered this above already. There's nothing wrong with INT mongering. If there is a spot that you can double up on for a small INT loss, do go for the doubling. I.E maybe reverend sash (+2 INT +2 MND) over a belt that does no MND and +3 INT. Also, gear that has a grossly more MND stat instead of a small INT stat go for the MND. I.e, Promise Badge over Philomath Stole or Black Silk Neckerchief.

If you can get an interesting stat go for that as well. Moldavite and Elemental earring are way better than 2 MND or 2 INT. (or 25 Mp...) RDMs rarely get hate, but it does happen. You'll get hate when you have to cast Dispel several times or when you Cure IV a dying ninja. Having some Enmity down is all ways a good idea. Mix and Match. Go with the set-up that gets you the most for each slot.

Don't look at the big picture. Look at each slot individually. Make some executive decisions.

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INT and Black Magic