Black Mage (Final Fantasy XIV)



The Thaumaturge is a Disciple of Magic in Final Fantasy XIV.

Overview
In the hands of a skilled practitioner, thaumaturgy can be a force of terrifying destruction. At the heart of this school of magic lies the ability to call forth and command the latent aether within oneself through deep introspection.

To then mold that aether into sorcery, the thaumaturge makes use of a scepter or staff, within which is housed a medium—a natural stone imbued with magical properties. The guild is centered at the Arrzaneth Ossuary in Ul'dah, within whose hallowed halls are said to reside powers of life, death, and the beyond.

Role
Thaumaturges are unparalleled in their powers of destruction, eclipsing even the Disciples of War.

Thaumaturgy is the art of raw destruction, of using Aether to protect one's allies... by blasting the foe into fine powder.

In their original design, Thaumaturges were debuff specialists with access to Light and Dark-elemental offensive spells. After patch 1.20, the Thaumaturge was changed to an offensive mage, specializing on Fire, Ice and Lightning magic and a few support abilities as well as a mechanic through which they have essentially "limitless" MP. The new Arcanist discipline is currently planned, based on released information, to replace the Thaumaturge's role in debuffing. All spell MP costs and power are scaled with player level.

Black Mage
In days long past, there existed an occult and arcane art known as black magic—a potent magic of pure destructive force born forth by a sorceress of unparalleled power. Those who learned to wield this instrument of ruin came to be called black mages, out of both fear and respect for their gift. Yet great power served to corrupt the judgment of mortal man, and so he unknowingly set out upon the path of ruin.

Adventurers who take the black will become agents of devastation, capable of annihilating those who oppose them through little more than the force of their will.

The Black Mage Soul Crystal can be obtained by completing the quest "Hearing Voices" that becomes available when the player reaches Thaumaturge level 30 and Pugilist level 15; it further enhances the Thaumaturge offensive magic abilities, but only allow the use of Archer and Pugilist cross class skills.

Abilities
Every Black Mage ability can be used only after completing specific quests. (Since we do not have access to the Black Mage as of this writing {beta 3}, the skills shown here are most likely incorrect. When the game comes out it would be lovely if someone were to correct this)

Etymology
Thaumaturgy (Greek words θαῦμα thaûma, meaning "miracle" or "marvel" and ἔργον érgon, meaning "work") is the capability of a saint to work miracles. It is sometimes translated into English as wonderworking. A practitioner of thaumaturgy is a thaumaturge, thaumaturgist or miracle-worker.

Trivia

 * During one scene in the Black Mage quest line, as two Black Mages approach the player their eyes flash yellow, mimicking the traditional glowing-eyed look in earlier games.

Thaumaturg