Hello,
Im about to start this mod and really looking forward to it. Just have 2 quick questions.
1)Is there a general consensus on how to spec each character that will utilize their best traits/abilities ?
Idk about the "general consensus", but in my opinion, this is what roles I think each character best excels at
Cloud: Main Character Syndrome means he has to be flexible to fill whatever role you need. I suggest you decide early on what you want him to do and stick with it. His Personal Skill is okay, but not much to say about it.
Barret: He has high Vitality & good Spirit, making him a solid basic tank. His Magic is abysmal, so don't expect much from there. Not much to say about his Personal Skill either. What row you leave him in depends on if you want him hitting things or taking hits. 6th best choice for a tank, simply due to the fact that he has little to offer beyond taking hits.
Tifa: Her high Dexterity and high strength make her a great choice for a physical attacker, though she can also play Tank very well if you invest in her to be one. Great for Cover Countering, especially since her Grit ability lets her stick around a bit longer if your healer is tied up. I'd rank her as the 2nd Best physical attacker, and 5th best choice for a tank.
Aerith: Obviously she's the best Mage, no questions asked. However, her Personal Skill, Geo Guard, gives her a unique tanking capability that can't be replicated. Absorbing almost all elements in the game just by defending, Aerith's got incredible bulk potential (especially since she doesn't need to sacrifice stats for an Elemental Materia). If there were a Draw Attacks Materia to increase aggro towards her, she'd easily be the the best tank of the gang. Her Limit Breaks being geared towards support also help her in favor of playing the Tank/Support role. As it stands, she's the 2nd best tank, and best Mage.
Red: Hoo boy! Red is amazing. He can play Tank, Physical Offense, Mage, or Hybrid Offense with ease! His personal skill is perfect for boss battles, and his Limit Breaks (aside from Cosmo Memory) service his various builds beautifully! His Lv.1 Limit Break set for Tank Role with strong HP recovery in Sled Fang and "Hastega" via Lunatic High. His Lv.2 Limit Break set for a Mage/Hybrid Build with Blood Fang giving HP & MP Recovery, and Stardust Ray scaling off his magic (though it needs to be buffed). His Lv.3 Limit set for a Physical/Hybrid Build with Howling Moon providing Berserk & Haste to wipe the floor with random battles, and Earth Rave for massive damage. Pick what you want him to do and stick with it (preferably choose what Cloud
isn't doing already for him). Tied with Tifa as 2nd best attacker, 2nd best Mage, 4th best tank, and the best Hybrid fighter.
Yuffie: Idk to be honest. her current personal skill doesn't work (and raw Evade isn't very good in FF7 anyway), and her Conformer is really the only noteworthy thing about her in my opinion. I guess she could be your speedy mage, if Aerith is too slow for your tastes (or if you let Aerith stay dead after Disc 1). No notable rankings since, again, I never used her.
Cait Sith: He's a good candidate for a Support Tank since he has Auto MP Regen, solid bulk, high luck, and an MP Restoring weapon. He can also be a Crit-Abusing Bruiser with Strength investment and high luck. Cait is the 3rd best tank, in my opinion, thanks to his high luck.
Vincent: I can't say much about him since I only used him a couple times. I give him the Shinra Turk bonus every Rank Up so he can fill whatever gaps there are in the team whenever I use him. Even without specialization, he performed very well. Tbh I never noticed his Personal Skill go off, so not much to say about it. Well Rounded, so always a good choice for an attacking role.
Cid: Strength, Vitality, Spirit, and lots and lots of Luck. Cid has the Highest Luck, and his Ultimate Weapon has a built in Drain effect. Cid can easily get over 200 Luck for a flat 50% chance to avoid damage thanks to the Lucky Evade mechanic (Luck/4), and with 2-3 Counter Materia on him, he'll easily recover any damage he takes by countering like crazy while using the Venus Gospel. Solid Bulk, Venus Gospel, and Crazy high Luck make Cid the best tank in the game (unless a Draw Attack materia is made, which would let Aerith dethrone Cid as Best Tank). Second Wind takes a long time to charge, so it rarely saw usage.