WHM Death Etiquette

[ZenXIII]

Hello all
I have a question regarding death and white mages.
Basically, your role in the party is to keep people alive and buffed (I think...).
However, if it comes down to it and someone HAS to die (or at least there is a 90% chance that someone will die) I don't feel comfortable as a white mage just letting it happen to the warrior.
But, when i was playing as a warrior...I hated to let people stick around when doom was certain...even if it was a white mage just hanging on to a thread of hope for a last cure and a critical.
Now, i assume in a large party (3 or more) that if one person has to die, it would probably better to NOT be the white, as everyone else will still need their services in order to keep it from being a total loss.
But I was in a duo today with a warrior and we got some linked aggro from pretty tough baddies for our level. We managed to kill the first, but my MP was running down, and the second critter was hitting pretty hard. The warrior told me to run for it, and cast a provoke.
I started to take off, but as i saw his HP dropping I couldn't bring myself to turn tail from my ally, so i kept on curing him, and we slowly made our way to the zone with an angry canyon rarab trading aggro between my healing and his provokes.
As i ran out of mp i threw up the last ditch benediction and got us both up high, but took quite a beating as a toll, and died before making the zone.
The warrior survived, and I felt it wasn't a total loss ... afterall, I only heal so that others won't die.
However, in that case was it RIGHT for me to keep curing? Or should i have just zoned? I could have zoned at the beginning and been 100% OK, but he would have surely died.
The way it happened we almost BOTH died ... because I couldn't just settle for getting myself out ok, but there was also that slim chance that we'd have BOTH survived...
My personal opinion is that if we'd have both died, we'd have had a long walk together back to the canyon knowing that we were in a party where the other member was willing to do anything to keep the party ok. Which, imo, is worth the XP loss, as it guarantees parties in the future.
Anyone else have any opinions?

[mirri]

depends but in this case i doubt that warrior will ever forget you and will always think kindly on you haha , so its a greta way to make a name for yourself

[kumaeru]

Well you had to do what you had to do to keep someone alive. I've done that many times. Sometimes if I am running ahead of everyone (running to zone), I wait a bit so I can see some of my pt on the radar/map. If it gets bad I will benedict.

[Leises]

As Kumaeru said, you do what you have to do. Like tonight when my party was attacked by an Earth Elemental and killed our other WHM and a warrior in a matter of seconds. I had the chance to run but stayed and cast heals on the two remaining warriors to give them a chance. When I was almost dead, I cast Benediction and then took the agro giving them a chance to run. I died but they did not. Thats (IMO) a WHM's job. Keep as many alive as possible, even if you must sacrifice yourself to do so.

- L

[Icemage]

Over on Quetzalcoatl, eh, ZenXIII?

Each WHM has their own rules about where to draw the line when you have to use last ditch moves like Curaga and Benediction, but in general IF the party members are good, and the party isn't in trouble because someone made a stupid mistake, then I usually don't mind taking one for the team.

If someone goes off and does something deliberately stupid, however, they are on their own, as far as I'm concerned.


Icemage

[Iiowyn]

Whenever I play my warrior and something bad goes wrong, I usually try and snag agro and run away so the party lives, or at least the whm. I'd much rather the WHM survive than those 2 warriors, at least after level 25 =)

Iiowyn

[Synbios]

Before level 25, save everyone and die, after 25, run the hell out of there and come back to raise them.

[Leises]

"Before level 25, save everyone and die, after 25, run the hell out of there and come back to raise them."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

- L

[Tulwin]

To me since I have not gotten to 25 for raise I feel I have failed the group if anyone but myself dies It's just the way I play most of the time if it just hopeless I can cast beni try to bind the mob and run for the hills True If it is flat out a stupid by someone in the party I give em one shot after that they are on there own

[mlwolfinger]

I feel that if everyone survived except me then I've done my job. Of course I'd like to make it out alive too but my own life is my last priority after the lives of my party. I always feel 100 times worse if someone in my party dies than if I die. I'm responsible for the lives of my fellow party members and I take that very seriously.

Besides, if your party pulls an incredibly tough mob, everyone is dropping HP fast, defeat seems certain and the situation is hopeless and you're standing there flinging cure spells around, using benediction, taking some hate, getting beat up and possibly killed but everyone else in your party somehow survives long enough to win because of your efforts then they are going to remember that and they are going to love and respect you forever! It's worth it... as long as you're under level 25!

[kirbys_dead]

Personaly as a whm i feel that i have a certain requirement to stay until the entire party had died including my self. its my responsibily to make sure i keep them as healed and buffed as i possibly can.

and to who ever made that quote about raise. my exact thoughts

[Navia]

Deep in a zone or dungeon once you can cast raise, you dont want the WHM to die ^^. You arent doing the party a favor if you die and everyone else lives.
When i can cast reraise at 33, I may feel a bit more inclined to commit suicide by saving the group with divine seal+curega or something :sweat:

[Star Sibyl]

As most have mentioned above, your life only really starts to matter between level 25 and level 33. At level 25 you'll gain Raise 1 so it would be wise to stay alive to raise the possible deaths of your pt members but at level 33 you'll get Reraise which will allow you to raise yourself if you happen to die.