ok this i mainly aimed at non-red mages but even reds might wanna red this and http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.html?fjob=2&mid=1083715073930369133&num=260 .
ok first off DO NOT BEG . you will have a hard time finding anything more annoying to a red mage then this. unless you have a bad red mage or one who has asked to be reminded we will know when your refresh wears off BEFORE you do. depending on you job type you may not even be in the refresh cycle.
second. know the refresh cycle and where you fall in to it. now a lot of higher/more experinced red mages no longer use a "Cycle" but they all have a priority list that amounts to the same thing. if not already stated by the red make a point of asking where you fall in the list.
third. refresh costs 40 mana and returns 120 mana. if you are not at least 100 mana points under your maxed you do not need it yet (palis , darks and other classes with less then 200 mana are a exception). it also takes 18 seconds to cast please remember that if you just saw the red cast then you know its gonna be a few till they can cast again.
forth. relise just because you have a mana bar does not mean you get refresh. the normal cycle/priority list goes Self > Palidin > Main Healers > other healers > Puller (if puller is using spells to pull). if your not in this list refresh is a plus but not a right. even then other then the first 3 you should not always expect to have refresh going.
fifth. remember unless there are more then one red mage in a PT (a rarity at higher lvls). a red mage has many things to do. several of which most likey are higher priority then your crack. even more so if you not near running out. in most cases the basic 3 debuffs (paralyze , slow , gravity) take priority over refresh unless the healer is really low on mana. and even then why is the puller pulling then?? Palidins are a much higher priority then anyone but the redmage themselves. White Mages(healers) are important and should be refreshed "IF" they are using thier mana properly. white mages that nuke or cast cure III when cure II is needed will finding themselves having a chat with the red or even the PT leader. same applies to all mana users.
sixth. Refresh is not a excuse to ignore normal mana conservation rules. just because you have refresh does not mean you can or should waste mana. again remember refresh only gives you a extra 120 mana at the cost of 40 mana from the red. in fact its better to continue your casting as if you do not have refresh on. if you waste mana do not be surpised when the red stops casting it on you.
seventh. refresh is NOT a right its a priviledge. you went 40+ lvls without it you can survive without it. the only people that can be said to "NEED" refresh are the red mage , palidin and who evers main healer. anyone else does not need it.
eighth. Refresh is not a red mages main job. if you think it is be prepared to have either bad red mages or NO red mages in your PT. true refresh is important and valuable but its the enfeebles that are a priority. without those that little extra mana you have will be wasted trying to compensate for the lack of enfeebles.
nineth. Black Mages do not need refresh. of all the jobs your the last in the list unless you doing a BCNM or other like battle that is a pure black mage nuke fest. you have the highest mana regen when sitting then anyone else. and your the one job that can not afford to blow all you mana in one shot since that means you will get aggro and die. if you get refresh then yippie. but you do not need it. more black mages die because they took refresh as a excuse to go all out on the nukes then for any other reason at upper lvls.
tenth. Darks do not need refresh unless they are casting the absorb spells. ask just about any red mage thats got refresh and you will find they have stories of Darks going nuke crazy everytime they get refresh. all this leads to is Darks not getting refresh as your nukes are some of the most mana inefficent nukes around. if as a red mage i wanted to turn my mana into nukes i would of nuked myself or refreshed the black. it would have been much more mana efficent.
eleventh. Mana Pullers. if you are a puller that uses mana to pull use your mana sparingly. you pretty low on the totem pole. only above black mages and darks. the less mana you use to pull the more likely you will have mana. with all the jobs a red mage has to do refreshing you is bottom so its in alls best interest for you to conserve.
follow these rules and you will have happy red mages. don't follow them and you will find red mages even harder to find. its at the refresh lvls that most red mages quit.