So, I was discussing with some folks FE8's Summoner class, and how the Shaman's promotions could have been handled better. Basically, each of the three of us had a different idea for the ideal promotion options for Shaman. We're all satisfied with the Druid as it is, we're just concerned with the Summoner. Here are the main three arguments: 1. The Summoner is fine as it is.
Basically, the idea that the Summoner is viable enough and interesting enough not to warrant any change.
2. Have Shamans promote to Sage instead of Summoner.
Shamans would promote to Sage instead of Summoner. This change would come with a second major change: Sages would only be allowed to have one school of offensive magic. Monks who promoted to Sage would only have Light magic and Staves, Mages would only have Anima and Staves, and Shamans would naturally only have Dark and Staves. This sort of change isn't unheard of: Paladins lost access to Axes when Great Knights were introduced in FE8. I don't personally fancy this concept; it leaves the Shaman with two promotion options that are even more similar than the Druid and Summoner were, and it reduces incentive for Monks and Mages to promote to Sage instead of Bishop or Mage Knight, respectively.
3. Replace the Summoner promotion with a mounted Dark Knight promotion.
This is the idea that I prefer: the Dark Knight would be a mounted unit with access to Dark magic and Staves. Its stats would be balanced differently than the Druid's: I'm not sure of the specifics, but most likely less Magic and Skill, but more Speed, though not by a drastic amount. These stat differences would be similar to the differences between Sage and Mage Knight. I think this would have been a good alternative to the Summoner because it creates a meaningful and noticeable visual and practical difference between the Shaman's two promotion options. However, it's worth noting that there are two classes that already exist in FE8 (Valkyrie and Mage Knight) which are fairly similar to this Dark Knight, so that might be reason for concern.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, so respond letting me know which of these ideas you think would have worked best in FE8.
