A damage profession is a profession which specializes in performing damage within a team. This is their purpose. The manner in which they contribute. Yet the damage professions in AO, while specializing in performing damage as per their toolsets, can be od'd or close to od'd by certain professions which have supportive toolsets.
I believe such should not be the case. Shades, NTs, and MAs should not be getting od'd by two profession's which have the most, or some of the most, in demand supportive tools in the game.
Now, one can argue that Shades, NT's, and MAs have toolsets which are useful beyond what their main purpose is, performing damage. I will simply point out that the amount of usefullness these other aspects of their toolsets have pales in comparison to the supportive toolsets of Crats, and barring Ma's, to engis as well.
Shades in particular have an arguably useful toolset aside from their damage. We help evade tanks tank better, we can stun or decrease inits on a mob in a somewhat noticeable manner. Yet, unlike the professions which can od us, our damage is not split between ourselves and pets. It all comes from one source. As such many enfs will have serious difficutly keeping agg from a Shade running 12man/db buffs and +dmg team auras. We tank where we shouldn't be tanking. Where docs don't want us tanking.
Tank professions Tank. Healing professions Heal. CC professions perform CC. Damage professions excel at Dealing Damage.
The first and the last are not realized within AO yet. We Shades, and hopefully NTs and MA's soon as well, need detaunt tools. We as damage professions need to be the best at dealing damage. Noone heals better then a doc. Noone mezs or debuffs inits better then a crat. It would be a wonder thing if I could accurately state, noone does damage better then an nt or shade. Hopefully that statement can be true sometime in the future.
The purpose of a damage profession is clear, it's to perform and excel in performing damage. The actual function of this within AO differs drastically and serious consideration and action should be brought to bear upon this problem.