Althea Valara (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ffbe_script) wrote2012-05-11 06:21 pm
ffbe_script) wrote2012-05-11 06:21 pm
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The Art of Healing: How to /SCH
Although just about any job can make an effective subjob for WHM, the three most commonly used are Black Mage, Red Mage, and Scholar. All three make good choices, though /RDM tends to be better than /BLM due to its increased options for MP conservation.
However, I personally believe Scholar makes the best subjob for White Mage in most situations. In this article, I'll explain how to play with this subjob.
Step 1: Light Arts
The very first thing you should do as a WHM/SCH is activate Light Arts. It provides the following benefits:
In other words: it makes your spells faster, cheaper, and stronger.
For example, take the line of raise spells. They cost 150 normally. With Light Arts active, that cost is reduced to 135. This means you can cast more spells before you have to rest.
The stronger bit won't affect your healing/cures - we already have the best healing magic skill in the game - but it WILL affect your Enhancing magic, thereby making your barspells and Stoneskin stronger.
Step 2: Sublimation
Your next order of business is to activate Sublimation. What it does is slowly siphon off your HP, converting it into a pool of MP. Once the pool is full, you can then use it to get a chunk of MP back at once.
The amount you get back depends on the HP you had while it was ticking. As a hume with my current gearset, I get get back 327 MP at a time.
I find that WHM's native auto-regen cancels out the HP slip effect normally caused by Sublimation, whereas on SCH main I tend to cast Stoneskin lest I end up in yellow HP.
Because you are technically losing HP (even if it doesn't look like you are), you cannot rest if Sublimation is active unless you cast Stoneskin.
Note that because Sublimation is effected by HP and generates pretty slowly as /SCH, I find it's not great to use when weakened; you don't get that much back. Still better than none, but eh, to me it's normally not worth it, since I'd have to cast Stoneskin in order to rest. So I just skip the sublimation/stoneskin and rest up instead.
Step 3: Understanding your {Light Arts} Job Abilities.
Scholar has a LOT of job abilities (called Strategems) to use, and as /SCH you'll have access to a few of them. They are as follows:
Addendum: White
I mention this only so you're not wondering what it is. As Scholar main, this ability gives you access to spells you ordinarily wouldn't be able to use. For instance, in order for a SCH/RDM to cast Reraise III on themselves, they have to activate Addendum: White. As far as I know, all spells that SCH would use Addendum: White for are spells WHM already has, so there should be no reason for you to use this JA.
Celerity
Reduces the casting time of your next White Magic spell by 50%.
My favorite use is to toss a Celerity -> Raise III at a dead body in the heat of battle, so I can get them up quickly and get back to curing. Also good for getting everyone on their feet again after a wipe, as your Raise spells will be available sooner.
Penury
Reduces the MP cost of your next White Magic spell by 50%
I haven't needed this one as much as in the past. Used to be that my MP pool would dwindle low enough that I'd have to use Penury -> Cure V/VI in order to heal someone. Not so much these days.
Still, it's GREAT to use in combination with your Raise spells when there's been a wipe. Light Arts already reduces Raise the cost of Raise to 135; with Penury, you can cast raise for as little as 68 MP. NICE.
Accession
Extends the effect of the next Healing or Enhancing White Magic spell to party members within range. MP cost is doubled and casting time is tripled.
I already covered some uses of Accession in my post on removing status effects, which I recommend reading. Accession can also be used with buffs.
For example, back in the old-school Dynamis days, we often ran with two parties with me as the main/only healer. I would cast Protectra/Shellra on my party, then do Accession->Protect V followed by Accession->Shell V on a member of the other party, to give that entire party protect/shell. That LS still runs Dynamis to this day, though often it's just one party--so I end up doing Accession->sneak/invisible instead. :D
I also like to use Accession'd buffs before NM fights. Most commonly it's with Stoneskin, and sometimes Blink, if there are no NINs or /NIN in the party. If I'm with mages or NINs/people subbing /NIN, I'll commonly give everyone Aquaveil instead.
Note that you can only Accession spells that Scholar gets natively. This means no Accession->Haste.
Also, do be aware that it increases the recast time of the spell. It can be very frustrating waiting for Erase to be available again after you Accession'd it.
Step 4: Dark Arts
Generally, you won't be using Dark Arts much, however you should have a basic understanding of what it offers.
Dark Arts does everything Light Arts does, except it works on elemental/dark-based enfeebles instead. While under Dark Arts, you have access to the following job abilities:
Addendum: Black
This one is actually useful to a WHM, as it gives access to Dispel & Sleep. I don't often have reason to use this JA, but it's worth knowing. Primarily, I use it in Abyssea seal parties, if the BLM I am with is subbing /WHM or /BRD and thus doesn't have access to Dispel.
Alacrity
Reduces the casting time of your next Black Magic spell by 50%. I haven't used it as WHM/SCH, but you should know what it does in case you want to use it.
Parsimony
Reduces the MP cost of your next Black Magic spell by 50%. Again, I haven't had reason to use this as WHM/SCH.
Manifestation
Extends the effect of your next enfeebling1 black magic spell to targets within range. MP cost is doubled and casting time is tripled.
Okay, this one I have used with WHM/SCH! Mostly, I used it in old-school Dynamis to do an {Aspir}ga:
/ja “Dark Arts”
/ja Manifestation
/ma Aspir
You can also use it to do an AoE Sleep:
/ja “Dark Arts”
/ja Manifestation
/ja "Addendum: Black"
/ma Sleep
Stratagem Recast Time
To be an effective WHM/SCH, you need to develop a good sense of when your stratagems are available to use.
Each stratagem takes 1 charge to use. As /SCH, it takes 2 minutes for a stratagem to charge, and you can have a max of 2 charges available at any time.
Switching from Light Arts to Dark Arts doesn't count as a stratagem; it's like switching from Solace to Misery.
In my two examples above, I could use Alacrity with my {Aspir}ga macro because it only used one stratagem as written. However, I could NOT use Alacrity with the second example, because the AoE-Sleep macro already requires two stratagems (Addendum: Black and Manifestation).
Thus, when buffing your party/alliance before battle, you'll be able to Accession at most 2 spells... after that, you'll have to wait 2 minutes to do the next one.
To check how many stratagems you have available, you can use the /recast command. I usually do /recast penury. It will look like this:
[Penury] 1:13 (1)
This means I currently have 1 stratagem available, and the next one will be available in another 1 minute 13 seconds.
Summary
Scholar is a very powerful subjob for white mage, allowing you to be more effective and efficient at your job. In a nutshell, /SCH gives you:
Any questions? Leave a comment here or send me a /tell in game!
However, I personally believe Scholar makes the best subjob for White Mage in most situations. In this article, I'll explain how to play with this subjob.
Step 1: Light Arts
The very first thing you should do as a WHM/SCH is activate Light Arts. It provides the following benefits:
- Reduces casting costs of light magic spells by 10%
- Cuts effective casting time and recast of white magic spells by 10%.
- Grants a bonus to Divine Magic, Healing Magic, Enfeebling Magic, and Enhancing Magic. The bonus is equivalent to the amount required to bring the skill ranking to a B- grade
In other words: it makes your spells faster, cheaper, and stronger.
For example, take the line of raise spells. They cost 150 normally. With Light Arts active, that cost is reduced to 135. This means you can cast more spells before you have to rest.
The stronger bit won't affect your healing/cures - we already have the best healing magic skill in the game - but it WILL affect your Enhancing magic, thereby making your barspells and Stoneskin stronger.
Step 2: Sublimation
Your next order of business is to activate Sublimation. What it does is slowly siphon off your HP, converting it into a pool of MP. Once the pool is full, you can then use it to get a chunk of MP back at once.
The amount you get back depends on the HP you had while it was ticking. As a hume with my current gearset, I get get back 327 MP at a time.
I find that WHM's native auto-regen cancels out the HP slip effect normally caused by Sublimation, whereas on SCH main I tend to cast Stoneskin lest I end up in yellow HP.
Because you are technically losing HP (even if it doesn't look like you are), you cannot rest if Sublimation is active unless you cast Stoneskin.
Note that because Sublimation is effected by HP and generates pretty slowly as /SCH, I find it's not great to use when weakened; you don't get that much back. Still better than none, but eh, to me it's normally not worth it, since I'd have to cast Stoneskin in order to rest. So I just skip the sublimation/stoneskin and rest up instead.
Step 3: Understanding your {Light Arts} Job Abilities.
Scholar has a LOT of job abilities (called Strategems) to use, and as /SCH you'll have access to a few of them. They are as follows:
Addendum: White
I mention this only so you're not wondering what it is. As Scholar main, this ability gives you access to spells you ordinarily wouldn't be able to use. For instance, in order for a SCH/RDM to cast Reraise III on themselves, they have to activate Addendum: White. As far as I know, all spells that SCH would use Addendum: White for are spells WHM already has, so there should be no reason for you to use this JA.
Celerity
Reduces the casting time of your next White Magic spell by 50%.
My favorite use is to toss a Celerity -> Raise III at a dead body in the heat of battle, so I can get them up quickly and get back to curing. Also good for getting everyone on their feet again after a wipe, as your Raise spells will be available sooner.
Penury
Reduces the MP cost of your next White Magic spell by 50%
I haven't needed this one as much as in the past. Used to be that my MP pool would dwindle low enough that I'd have to use Penury -> Cure V/VI in order to heal someone. Not so much these days.
Still, it's GREAT to use in combination with your Raise spells when there's been a wipe. Light Arts already reduces Raise the cost of Raise to 135; with Penury, you can cast raise for as little as 68 MP. NICE.
Accession
Extends the effect of the next Healing or Enhancing White Magic spell to party members within range. MP cost is doubled and casting time is tripled.
I already covered some uses of Accession in my post on removing status effects, which I recommend reading. Accession can also be used with buffs.
For example, back in the old-school Dynamis days, we often ran with two parties with me as the main/only healer. I would cast Protectra/Shellra on my party, then do Accession->Protect V followed by Accession->Shell V on a member of the other party, to give that entire party protect/shell. That LS still runs Dynamis to this day, though often it's just one party--so I end up doing Accession->sneak/invisible instead. :D
I also like to use Accession'd buffs before NM fights. Most commonly it's with Stoneskin, and sometimes Blink, if there are no NINs or /NIN in the party. If I'm with mages or NINs/people subbing /NIN, I'll commonly give everyone Aquaveil instead.
Note that you can only Accession spells that Scholar gets natively. This means no Accession->Haste.
Also, do be aware that it increases the recast time of the spell. It can be very frustrating waiting for Erase to be available again after you Accession'd it.
Step 4: Dark Arts
Generally, you won't be using Dark Arts much, however you should have a basic understanding of what it offers.
Dark Arts does everything Light Arts does, except it works on elemental/dark-based enfeebles instead. While under Dark Arts, you have access to the following job abilities:
Addendum: Black
This one is actually useful to a WHM, as it gives access to Dispel & Sleep. I don't often have reason to use this JA, but it's worth knowing. Primarily, I use it in Abyssea seal parties, if the BLM I am with is subbing /WHM or /BRD and thus doesn't have access to Dispel.
Alacrity
Reduces the casting time of your next Black Magic spell by 50%. I haven't used it as WHM/SCH, but you should know what it does in case you want to use it.
Parsimony
Reduces the MP cost of your next Black Magic spell by 50%. Again, I haven't had reason to use this as WHM/SCH.
Manifestation
Extends the effect of your next enfeebling1 black magic spell to targets within range. MP cost is doubled and casting time is tripled.
Okay, this one I have used with WHM/SCH! Mostly, I used it in old-school Dynamis to do an {Aspir}ga:
/ja “Dark Arts”
/ja Manifestation
/ma Aspir
You can also use it to do an AoE Sleep:
/ja “Dark Arts”
/ja Manifestation
/ja "Addendum: Black"
/ma Sleep
Stratagem Recast Time
To be an effective WHM/SCH, you need to develop a good sense of when your stratagems are available to use.
Each stratagem takes 1 charge to use. As /SCH, it takes 2 minutes for a stratagem to charge, and you can have a max of 2 charges available at any time.
Switching from Light Arts to Dark Arts doesn't count as a stratagem; it's like switching from Solace to Misery.
In my two examples above, I could use Alacrity with my {Aspir}ga macro because it only used one stratagem as written. However, I could NOT use Alacrity with the second example, because the AoE-Sleep macro already requires two stratagems (Addendum: Black and Manifestation).
Thus, when buffing your party/alliance before battle, you'll be able to Accession at most 2 spells... after that, you'll have to wait 2 minutes to do the next one.
To check how many stratagems you have available, you can use the /recast command. I usually do /recast penury. It will look like this:
[Penury] 1:13 (1)
This means I currently have 1 stratagem available, and the next one will be available in another 1 minute 13 seconds.
Summary
Scholar is a very powerful subjob for white mage, allowing you to be more effective and efficient at your job. In a nutshell, /SCH gives you:
- 10% Faster casting and recast times while under Light Arts
- 10% Reduced MP costs while under Light Arts
- MP recovery with the use of Sublimation
- A boost to your Enhancing Magic skill (from C+ to B-) and Enfeebling Magic Skill (from C to B-)
- Job abilities that let you reduce your next spell's MP cost by 50% (Penury) or its casting time by 50% (Celerity)
- The ability to cast AoE buffs, -na, and Erase (Accession)
- Access to Dispel and Sleep while under Dark Arts
- Access to Aspir (best cast in Dark Arts; while you CAN cast it in Light Arts, it will be 10% slower/cost more)
Any questions? Leave a comment here or send me a /tell in game!